Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa: Europa League preview, predictions and bet builder tips

Ladbrokes brings you an in-depth match preview for Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa in the Europa League, with predictions, lineups and expert bet builder tips.

There will be one English team in the final of the Europa League this year, with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa sharing the field in the semi-finals of the competition.

This comes after Tottenham beat Man United in an all-English affair in Bilbao to win the Europa League last year.

Forest and Villa may be at the bottom and top ends of the Premier League respectively, but we think the clash between the two in Europe will be tight, with our prediction of a draw.

With it all on the line, read on for our in-depth Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa bet builder, and don't forget to check out our preview of every Champions League semi-final match, a competition that the winner of the Europa League will enter next season.

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa match details

• Fixture: Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

• Competition: Europa League

• Date: Thursday, 30 April, 2026

• Kick-off: 20:00 BST

• Venue: City Ground

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa match prediction

Our prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa predicted lineups

Nottingham Forest

Our predicted XI (4-4-2): Sels / Aina, Jair, Morato, Williams / Gibbs-White, Sangare, Anderson, Hutchinson / Wood, Jesus

Aston Villa

Our predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez / Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne / Onana, Tielemans / McGinn, Rogers, Buendia / Watkins

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa bet builder tips

Nottingham Forest to win or draw

We predicted a 1-1 draw in our Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa bet builder article for the pair's Premier League match on April 12, and that's the exact scoreline that ended up coming to fruition.

We're going with the same official match prediction here in the Europa League, but we're tipping Forest to be the side to get anything from the game if it doesn't end in a draw.

That's why we're going with a 'double chance' bet. Forest are coming off the back of a 5-0 win against Sunderland, while Aston Villa lost 1-0 to Fulham the following day.

While we do think the match ends in a draw, our 'double chance' bet in favour of Forest reflects our belief that if the match doesn't end up being tied, it'll be the home side who win.

Over 1.5 goals

Our next tip is for there to be over 1.5 goals scored, meaning that anything other than a 1-0 win for either side or a 0-0 draw leads to this leg coming in.

As noted, the score was 1-1 the last time these two sides met on April 12, with that game coming after a 3-1 loss for Forest at Villa Park on January 3, 2026.

You'd have to go back to January 2018 for the last Villa vs Forest goal where less than two goals have been scored, with there having been ten matches played between the two sides since then.

The data suggests that we're going to see goals in this one, which is why we're going with over 1.5 as part of our Forest vs Villa bet builder.

Matty Cash to be carded

This match is particularly big for Matty Cash, and not just because it's the semi-final of a major European competition.

Before joining Villa, Cash played his football for Nottingham Forest, starring in well over 100 league matches for his former side, and we expect him to be involved heavily here.

Cash picked up a yellow card when the two sides met earlier this month, and we're tipping him to do the same on Thursday night.

The Polish right-back has picked up two yellows from six cards in the competition so far this season. That, coupled with the fact he's got eight yellows to his name in the Premier League from 31 matches suggest he could find himself in the referee's book once again here.

Elliot Anderson to be carded

Cash to be carded isn't the only bet of its type we're including in our Forest vs Villa bet builder, with the final leg being for Elliot Anderson to find himself inside the referee's book.

Anderson has committed four fouls across his two matches against Villa so far this season, and we can't see that trend stopping when the two sides meet on Thursday evening.

Anderson has picked up three yellows and one red card in his six Europa League starts so far this season, so the data more than definitely supports this one.

You can bet on each of these markets individually, or combine them to create a Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Bet Builder.

With Bet Builder+, you can combine your bet with selections not only with other Europa League matches, but also with different sports.

View the latest football odds here.

All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.