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Aston Villa will entertain Nottingham Forest at Villa Park this Thursday night as they look to secure a positive result at home in the UEFA Europa League. The Villans suffered a tough 2-1 loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur recently, so they would be eager to put in a much-improved performance in midweek.
Unai Emery will set his men up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make a few changes to his first team for this game. Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne could all play from the start of this contest.
4-2-3-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Nottingham Forest
Defence
Emiliano Martinez will feature in between the sticks for the Villans after conceding two goals in his last outing. Ezri Konsa will play alongside Pau Torres at the centre of the Aston Villa backline as they hope to keep a solid shape on the defensive end of the pitch.
Matty Cash will fill in as the right-back, while Lucas Digne hopes to prove his value on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack.
Victor Lindelof and Tyrone Mings will provide cover for the centre-back positions on the bench.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MAY 03: Lamare Bogarde of Aston Villa is challenged by Rodrigo Bentancur of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on May 03, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Midfield
Youri Tielemans will anchor the midfield along with Lamare Bogarde as they focus on making life tough for the home side at the centre of the park.
The gifted trio of Emi Buendia, Morgan Rogers and John McGinn will play just ahead of them as part of the Aston Villa attack. All three of them need to be at their best if the Villans are to overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
Douglas Luiz and Jadon Sancho will have to be content with a spot on the bench as they await their chance to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if required.
Attack
Ollie Watkins will spearhead Aston Villa’s attack up top. He has to find a way to be a real menace in the final third.
Tammy Abraham will have to settle for a place on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the latter stages if needed.
