Nottingham Forest will host Aston Villa at the City Ground on Sunday in the Premier League return leg, following Villa's 3-1 victory over Forest at Villa Park in January. Both clubs are fresh from Europa League quarter-final first legs, with Forest drawing at Porto on Thursday and Villa securing a historic win against Bologna in Italy. The match kicks off at 14:00 BST.
Nottingham Forest sit three points above the relegation zone after a 3-0 victory at Tottenham on March 22, having steadied their form since the earlier derby defeat. Head coach Vitor Pereira highlighted the challenges of balancing European commitments with domestic survival. “If our situation is a safe, comfortable situation in the league, [in Europe] maybe we can risk a bit more,” Pereira said. He noted the fatigue risk of fielding the same lineup against Porto and then Villa just days later.