Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa in Europa League semi

Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa at the City Ground on Thursday evening in the first leg of their Europa League semifinal, pitting two former European champions against each other in a rare matchup between Premier League rivals.

The clubs, located just 50 miles apart in England's Midlands, last met at this venue in the Premier League earlier this month, drawing 1-1. Forest hold the edge in recent domestic encounters, earning seven points from their past three league games against Villa. This marks the first European clash between the sides, with the second leg set for Villa Park next week. The winner advances to the final in Istanbul on May 20 against either Freiburg or Braga.

Aston Villa enter as favorites, sitting fifth in the Premier League with 58 points and eight clear of sixth-placed Brighton with four games remaining. Unai Emery's team has dominated the Europa League this season, winning 11 of 12 matches, including nine straight, an English record in the competition proper. They advanced past Lille 4-0 on aggregate in the round of 16 and Bologna 7-1 overall in the quarterfinals. Villa's only loss came early against Go Ahead Eagles. Emery, who has won the Europa League...