Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will compete in the semifinals of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League after both teams secured their spots with recent victories. Villa defeated Bologna 4-0, while Forest narrowly beat FC Porto 1-0.
Key points
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest face off in Europa League semifinals
Villa defeated Bologna 4-0 in their last match
Forest won 1-0 against FC Porto
Aston Villa is favored to win the semifinal
Unai Emery has won the Europa League three times
Mentioned in this story
Unai Emery
Aston VillaNottingham ForestBolognaFC Porto
Every All-English Europa League Tie as Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest Set to Face Off in Semifinals
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will face off against each other in the semifinals of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League following another thrilling Thursday night of action. The Villans blazed past Bologna at Villa Park, adding a 4-0 victory to the 3-1 triumph they secured in Italy courtesy of goals from Ollie Watkins, Emi Buendia, Morgan Rogers, and Ezri Konsa.
The Tricky Trees, however, had to endure a nervier affair, squeezing past the ten men of FC Porto by one goal to nil, with the Portuguese visitors twice striking the crossbar as they hunted for an equalizer.
Online betting sites now think that the winner of the first-ever all-English Europa League semifinal will ultimately go on to lift the trophy next month in Istanbul. One well-liked Canadian online casino with sports betting options positions Aston Villa as the odds-on 9/10 frontrunners, primarily thanks to their impressive displays both domestically and continentally this year, as well as the fact that manager Unai Emery is a specialist in Europe's secondary competition, hoisting the giant trophy three times throughout his illustrious career. Forest then came in as a 10/3 second-favorite, with both of them considered more likely than the 4/1 and 7/1 Braga.
Q&A
When will Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest play in the Europa League semifinals?
The exact date for the Europa League semifinals featuring Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest has not been specified yet.
What were the scores of Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest's last matches?
Aston Villa won 4-0 against Bologna, while Nottingham Forest won 1-0 against FC Porto.
Who are the favorites to win the Europa League semifinal between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest?
Aston Villa is favored at odds of 9/10, while Nottingham Forest is the second favorite at 10/3.
What is Unai Emery's record in the Europa League?
Unai Emery has won the Europa League three times, establishing himself as a specialist in the competition.
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All-English ties are something we have become accustomed to over the years. Chelsea, for example, have contested two all-English Champions League finals, firstly against Manchester United in 2008 and then against Manchester City in 2021. The Blues also played out a thrilling four-year epic with Liverpool in the 2000s, with the two teams squaring off in four straight Champions League campaigns, be it in the quarterfinals or the semis.
In the Europa League, however, it's a different story. There have only been three instances of two English teams facing each other in Europe's secondary competition, with Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest set to be the fourth. So, whose footsteps will these two former European Cup winners be walking in? Let's take a look.
Liverpool vs Manchester United - 2015/16 Round of 16
The first-ever all-English Europa League tie came as recently as 2016 when Liverpool faced off against rivals Manchester United in the Round of 16. Both clubs were enduring somewhat of a downturn in fortunes.
The Reds had just sacked manager Brendan Rodgers after he failed to build on their Premier League near miss in 2014, while their rivals from down the M62 were beginning to struggle under Louis van Gaal.
They picked up a 2-0 win in the first fixture on Merseyside thanks to goals from Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino. Anthony Martial would give United hope when he netted an early opener in the second leg at Old Trafford. However, with the away goals rule still in place, Philippe Coutinho effectively killed the tie when he equalized on the stroke of half-time. The clash would finish 1-1, with Liverpool progressing 3-1 on aggregate.
Chelsea vs Arsenal - 2019 Final
London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal faced off in the 2019 final, and they did so a whopping 2,500 miles away from the Big Smoke in Baku, Azerbaijan. The clash was a massive one for one main reason: The Blues had secured Champions League football already having finished in the Premier League's top four, while the Gunners needed to win this tournament in order to seal a return to the top seat of European football the following season.
But no one handed Eden Hazard the script. The Belgian winger was in scintillating form in his last ever appearance for Chelsea before moving on to Real Madrid in the summer, scoring twice and assisting another in a 4-1 rout. To make matters worse for Arsenal fans, former striker Olivier Giroud was also on the scoresheet. Emery was sacked barely six months later.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United - 2025 Final
Last season's Europa League final was also an All-English affair, and once again, it was one with massive stakes. Both Spurs and Manchester United endured a miserable campaign domestically, with the former finishing 17th in the Premier League table and the latter finishing 15th.
However, the Europa League provided the perfect opportunity for one of them to turn the season into a success by winning the trophy and securing their spot in the Champions League for the following season.
Spurs hadn't won a major trophy in 17 years heading into this one, and as such were positioned as the underdogs. Ultimately, the tactics got the job done, and Spurs would emerge with the 1-0 win in Bilbao, claiming the trophy and Champions League qualification in the process.
