Key events
Away we go at Villa Park
1 min: Huge noise as they kick off. Villa take it, and go on the attack, the crowd gets even louder as McGinn sets off on a run. Goal kick to Forest.
There’s a tifo, too, and it seems to be a composite of Unai and his men in a heart, with a lion’s face. Evocative. Better than Bayern’s or Arsenal’s?
Jeff Beck is pumping out at Villa Park. Very popular in the West Midlands was Hi Ho Silver Lining; Rod Stewart on backing vocals, John Paul Jones on bass. Anyway, let’s rock. Captains John McGinn and Chris Wood lead out their teams.
It’s noisy at Villa Park, very noisy. The team bus got the now requisite pyro welcome. Villa fans have enjoyed their club being back in Europe over the last two seasons.
Emery on Lindelof: “Lindelof is not a goalkeeper.”
Helpful, we’re soon to find out.
We’re still in the dark over where Lindelof will play. Unai Emery was curt with TNT: “McGinn, he is important like every player, he is the captian, his connection with the supporters is massive.We must get out best collectively and best individually, John McGinn is very important in this message.”
More Pereira: “Enjoy the game, compete first minute to last minute, be brave, to try to force our game and in the end we will see.He [Gibbs-White] is here to help us, we will see what happens in the game. They need to be ready, this is a moment of the season we need to help the team, I have confidence in everyone, we can change the players but we keep the spirit.In our mind we come here to compete to win the game.”
Vitor Pereira spoke to TNT about Morgan Gibbs-White: “He’s here to help us. We will see. We will see what happens in the game.”
Is Victor Lindelof to play in a back three or midfield for Villa? John McGinn and Emi Buendia come in with Ollie Watkins and Lucas Digne.
Elliot Anderson is back in the Forest starting lineup as one of eight changes from the team that gubbed Chelsea.
The big team news is Morgan Gibbs-White being only ready enough to start the evening on the Forest bench after that horrible cut he received at Stamford Bridge. It required 11 stitches.
The teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Lindelof, Konsa, Torres, Cash, McGinn, Buendia, Tielemans, Digne, Watkins, Rogers. Subs: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Elliott, Garcia, Abraham, Sancho, Douglas Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey.
Nottm Forest: Ortega, Jair Cunha, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Hutchinson, Dominguez, Anderson, McAtee, Igor Jesus, Wood. Subs: Sels, Willows, Murillo, Sangare, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, Lucca, Yates, Bakwa, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Will Unwin on Vitor Pereira, fourth time lucky for Forest.
Dyche did what he had to, settling things down after a tumultuous start to the season, whereas Pereira wanted to offer greater freedom. Forest are the highest scorers in the league since his arrival, with 19 in nine matches, and have the third-best defence and would sit sixth over the period, according to Goalpoint. Under Pereira, Forest have scored 8.02 goals above xG, arguably a result of the increase in confidence and risk-taking.
Last time out in the Premier League:
The first leg:
Preamble
Nottingham Forest have the advantage but it’s a narrow one. Can Aston Villa overturn it? Their form last week at the City Ground, and in losing to Tottenham last Sunday, has slumped. Just at the wrong time? We’re about to find out. Forest meanwhile have thundered into form, and the stattos will tell you they are hugely outperforming their xG. Though didn’t that used to be said about the Villa? By midnight – hopefully not that late – we will know who will be heading to Istanbul for the final.
Kick-off at 8pm. Join me.
