Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa face off in a historic first leg on Thursday, April 30, 2026 . This marks the first-ever all-Midlands tie in major European competition, featuring two former European champions. Match Overview Venue : The City Ground, Nottingham Kick-off : Likely 20:00 BST (Standard Europa League timing)

: Analysts at WhoScored favor a narrow 1-0 Forest home win, while BoyleSports experts lean toward a stalemate at the City Ground.

Resurgent under Vitor Pereira; coming off a 5-0 win vs Sunderland. Mixed (W6 in last 9)

: Forest won back-to-back European Cups in 1979/80, while Villa lifted the trophy in 1982. Players to Watch

: The Reds' talisman has 16 goals this season, including five in his last three games. He is a top pick for anytime goalscorer .

: Forest is unbeaten in their last four at the City Ground and hasn't lost at home to Villa since returning to the Premier League.

: Highlighted as a potential card candidate given his intensity in high-stakes matches. Tactical Notes & Prediction