Who should be the first names on Forest's team sheet?

2 min read
Who should be the first names on Forest's team sheet?

Who should be the first names on Forest's team sheet?

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have finished their preparations ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg encounter at Villa Park on Thursday night (20:00 BST). Both managers rested first team players in the Premier League last weekend, with Unai Emery making seven changes against Totte

Who should be the first names on Forest's team sheet?

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have finished their preparations ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg encounter at Villa Park on Thursday night (20:00 BST). Both managers rested first team players in the Premier League last weekend, with Unai Emery making seven changes against Tottenham and Vitor Pereira conjuring up eight changes against Chelsea. In Emery's news conference, he confirmed Amadou Onana will be absent after picking up a calf injury in the first leg last week.

The stage is set. The kits are pressed. The managers have had their say. All that's left is the football.

Thursday night at Villa Park (20:00 BST) promises to be a historic occasion as Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest face off in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final. For both clubs, a place in a major European final is on the line—something neither has achieved in over 40 years. The tension is palpable, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Both managers made no secret of their priorities last weekend, resting key players for Premier League duty. Unai Emery rang in seven changes against Tottenham, while Vitor Pereira went even further, making eight against Chelsea. The message is clear: everything is being saved for Thursday night.

But with big games come big decisions—and injury headaches. Emery confirmed in his pre-match press conference that midfielder Amadou Onana will miss out after picking up a calf injury in the first leg. There's better news on John McGinn, however, who trained normally after hamstring tightness and is back in contention.

Over in the Forest camp, Pereira faces a late call on Morgan Gibbs-White after the playmaker suffered a head injury that required stitches. Meanwhile, defender Zach Abbott has been cleared following a separate clash of heads, and there's even a glimmer of hope that Murillo could return from a hamstring problem.

So, with the team news out of the way, the big question remains: who gets your vote for the starting XI? In a fixture that could define a season—and a club's legacy—every selection matters. Which players would you build your team around for this monumental night?

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