So it’s the day before a big match and, as is the custom in my house, I finished work early, opened a bottle of wine and for an hour or so I’ll enjoy a glass or two and concentrate on the match post.
But since I’ve already had a drink, I want to write a little something about the Spurs game. In particular, I want to focus on the breakdown that many people seem to have experienced. And before that, I would just like to remind that we are currently fifth in the table, six points ahead of the team below us and in the semi-final of a major European competition.
I wanted to give you this little reminder because judging by some of the comments here and on
And I’m writing all this because against Spurs, we rested most of our players. I write this to remind you all that Spurs are playing to survive with a manager who has motivated them. And these are just things we know. These are things that I consider to be black and white.
And this is where I’m going to admit something I’ve been hiding from you all for years.
I never played football at a serious level. The highest grade I achieved was schoolboy and county and because of that I know what I don’t know. And what I know, I don’t know, is that the game is as much about the head and as much about purpose and intensity as it is about ability and skill.
And at this level, all of these players have a very similar level of skill and ability. They are the ones who regularly play as a team, sharing a passion and a goal and making it happen. We made so many changes against a top team, in terms of the new manager bouncing back, fighting for survival and we lost. What I don’t know, and what most of us don’t know, is the details that allow the team to win a game 2-1 or lose it 2-1.
These changes were made because of tomorrow’s match and Sunday’s match. And it’s really only after these two matches that we can be angry or upset and even if we lose both, that doesn’t mean we won’t finish in the top five this season with the Champions League.
I wrote these two matches because our aim this season should be to finish in a place in the Champions League, not to reach the final of a match which could win us the Champions League next season. And as things stand, we are very much on the right track.
But for now and this is where I want to end this post, we have a manager that many would consider elite. Yes, you read that right, we have an elite manager. And for my part, I am convinced that he knows what he is doing, that he has forgotten more about managing a football club than I have ever known and that he will give us the Champions League next season.
And if everything goes his way tomorrow, he will also take us to a big European final. But if all goes according to plan, Megan Fox will be knocking on my door in about half a bottle and you know the rest.
Match the BBC Facts
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Aston Vila are unbeaten in each of their last 10 meetings with Nottingham Forest at Villa Park in all competitions (W7 D3), since a 2-0 Premier League defeat in October 1994 under Ron Atkinson.
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Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in each of their three European matches against English opposition, keeping a clean sheet each time (W2 D1) – their only previous away match came at Anfield against Liverpool in the first round of the 1978-79 European Cup, drawing 0-0.
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Aston Villa have won each of their last nine home matches in a major European competition, since a 0-0 draw against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League last season; The Villans have also scored in 31 of their last 32 matches at Villa Park in such competitions, with this goalless draw being the only exception.
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Nottingham Forest are looking to reach a third major European final after the 1978-79 and 1979-80 European Cups – the Tricky Trees have only been eliminated from one of their last 13 knockout matches by winning the first leg, namely the 1983-84 UEFA Cup semi-final against Anderlecht.
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Aston Villa are aiming for a second major European final, after the 1981-82 European Cup; The last team to overcome a first-leg deficit in a major European match against an opponent from the same country as them was Atlético Madrid against Barcelona in the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (1-2 away first leg, 2-0 home second leg).
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No team has recorded more clean sheets in the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League than Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest (7), both keeping a record of three in the last 16; the Tricky Trees limited the Villans to an xG of 0.8 in the first leg, their second lowest score in a knockout match this season (0.5 away at Lille).
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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has lost just once in two UEFA Cup/Europa League knockout matches, with Valencia against Atlético Madrid in the 2011-12 semi-final. In fact, it was the last home-and-away encounter the Spaniard was eliminated from in this competition, going 22 in a row since.
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In the first leg, Nottingham Forest’s Omari Hutchinson recorded the most dribbles (10), created the most chances (4) and made the second-most shots (3) – he was the first player to post each of these figures in a UEFA Europa League match since Athletic Club’s Nico Williams against Roma in last season’s round of 16.
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Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has been directly involved in five goals in six home matches in the UEFA Europa League this season (2 goals, 3 assists), while he has also scored (1) or provided an assist (1) in his last two outings at Villa Park against Nottingham Forest in all competitions.
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Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesus has been directly involved in the most away goals in the UEFA Europa League this season (5 – 4 goals, 1 assist) – he has also had the most shots (34), shots on target (16) and posted the highest xG figure (6.7) in the entire competition this season.
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