The City Ground hosts a historic all‑English Europa League semi‑final first leg as Nottingham Forest lock horns with Aston Villa.

Forest arrive buoyed by an eight‑match unbeaten run and a 5‑0 demolition of Sunderland, with Morgan Gibbs‑White in red‑hot form and Igor Jesus joint‑top scorer in the competition. Vítor Pereira’s side have already dispatched Porto, Fenerbahce and Midtjylland, and will lean on their strong home record against Villa.

Unai Emery’s men, meanwhile, boast pedigree and firepower. Villa are the Europa League’s highest scorers (24) and eased past Bologna 7‑1 on aggregate in the quarters. Ollie Watkins has three goals in his last two away ties, while Emery’s four Europa League titles underline his knockout nous.

Injuries on both sides may temper the attacking edge, and with first‑leg caution often prevailing, a tight contest is expected. Forest’s resilience and Villa’s pedigree suggest another stalemate could be on the cards.

For our Bet of the Day, we tip a Draw and BTTS (YES) at 33/10.