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The two sides last met barely a fortnight ago in the Premier League, with a Neco Williams strike cancelling out Murillo’s own goal in a 1-1 draw at the City Ground.
But this is a huge continental clash to be played over two legs, so the dynamics may well be different at the City Ground on Thursday (20:00 BST kick-off).
Mind you, Vitor Pereira has certainly got Forest cooking. They’ve won their last two Premier League games by an aggregate margin of 9-1, with the returning Chris Wood adding a new dimension to Forest's attacking play.
As for Villa, they got a huge boost recently with confirmation that the Premier League’s top five will all qualify for the Champions League next season. As such, they can give this Europa League contest their full attention.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa tips
Aston Villa to qualify @ 8/13 (bet365)
Both Teams to score @ 3/4 (bet365)
Over 2.5 Goals @ Evens (bet365)
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Early value
Remember, this particular game is the first of two legs that will determine this Europa League semi-final; the second is to be played at Villa Park next week.
Generally, playing the second leg on home soil is considered an advantage, so perhaps there’s scope here to lock in some early value.
The Premier League season is 34 games old, which is a good enough sample size to draw some conclusions about the teams. Yes, there are peaks and troughs of form, but Aston Villa are 19 points clear of Forest in the table – over the course of 180 minutes, the Villains have to be favoured.
Tip: Aston Villa to qualify @ 6/5 (bet365)
Explanation: If Aston Villa qualify for the final, our bet lands – no matter whether they do it in normal time, extra time or penalties.
Hitting the net
Pereira has welcomed Chris Wood back into his starting eleven, either as a lone frontman or in a pairing with Igor Jesus.
It’s been a revitalising switch for Forest, who have blasted four past Burnley and five against Sunderland in their last pair of outings – Wood and Jesus both on the scoresheet.
Villa have only kept one clean sheet in their last five games, but they’re often good value to find the net themselves – Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers in particular are in outstanding goalscoring form.
Tip: Both Teams to score @ 3/4 (bet365)
Explanation: Our bet lands if both teams score; the end result otherwise is not important.
Finding form
Even though this is a game of huge significance, which can bring with it a cagey and defensive pattern of play, these are two teams in a rich vein of goalscoring form.
We’ve mentioned Forest’s recent prowess, but Villa are not too shabby themselves in the final third – they smashed seven past Bologna over two legs, as well as beating Sunderland 4-3 in their penultimate outing.
Even if the early skirmishes are low-key in this game, at some point the confidence coursing through both teams in an attacking sense will surely come to the fore.
Tip: Over 2.5 Goals @ Evens (bet365)
Explanation: Our bet lands if there are three or more goals in this game.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa: Match result odds
Nottingham Forest: 6/4 (bet365)
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