Today's game between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will kick-off at Apr 30, 2026, 3:00 PM.
US viewers can watch Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa live on Paramount+, which holds exclusive English-language rights for the Europa League. The match is also available on CBS Sports Network, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, while TUDN, UniMás, and ViX for Spanish-language coverage.
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Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa at the City Ground in the Europa League, with both clubs arriving from contrasting domestic weekends and a great deal riding on the outcome.
Forest have been in remarkable form, winning three of their last five across all competitions and thrashing Sunderland 5-0 in the Premier League just days ago. Nuno Espírito Santo's side have turned the City Ground into a fortress and will look to use that energy in Europe.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been central to everything Forest do going forward. The playmaker scored a hat-trick against Burnley recently and has been the subject of growing calls for an England World Cup squad place, underlining just how influential he has become this season.
Aston Villa arrive in Nottingham sitting second in the Europa League standings, making them strong favourites to progress. Unai Emery's side dismantled Bologna 4-0 in the previous round and have shown they can hurt opponents at the highest level.
The two clubs met in the Premier League just weeks ago, drawing 1-1 at the City Ground. Villa lost to Fulham last weekend, which will have sharpened their focus ahead of this European tie.
Ollie Watkins leads the line for Villa and will be the danger man to watch. With Boubacar Kamara still absent through injury, the visitors will need their midfield to control the tempo if they are to come away with a result.
Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa, including TV channel, live stream details, and kick-off time.
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa with VPN
If you are travelling abroad or just want to access your usual streaming services from a different part of the world, you may run into geo-restrictions. This is where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes in handy.
A VPN, such as ExpressVPN, allows you to establish a secure, encrypted connection online. By virtually changing your location to a country where the game is being broadcast, you can bypass blackout restrictions and watch your favourite team live. A step-by-step guide is described later in this article, or you can also check out our guide to the best VPNs for streaming sports.
Team news & squads
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa lineups
Starting XI
Substitutes
Manager
- V. Pereira
- U. Emery
Injuries and Suspensions
Nottingham Forest are without a number of first-team players, with Murillo, John Victor, Nicolo Savona, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Willy Boly all listed as injured. There are no suspensions. The projected XI sees Stefan Ortega start in goal, with a back line of Ola Aina, Nuno Williams, Nikola Milenkovic, and Morato ahead of him. Dan Ndoye, Orel Mangala, Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare, Elliot Anderson, and Ivan Jesus are expected to complete the side.
Aston Villa are missing Boubacar Kamara and Alysson Edward through injury, with no suspensions to report. Emiliano Martinez is expected to start between the posts, with Ezri Konsa, Lucas Digne, Matty Cash, and Pau Torres forming the defence. Emiliano Buendia, Youri Tielemans, Leon Bogarde, Morgan Rogers, John McGinn, and Ollie Watkins make up the projected XI. Further updates will be added closer to kick-off if the situation changes.
Injuries and Suspended players
Injuries and Suspensions
Injuries and Suspensions
Form
NFO-Form
NFOSunderland
0
-
5
Nottingham Forest
W
Nottingham Forest
4
-
1
Burnley
W
Nottingham Forest
1
-
0
FC Porto
W
Nottingham Forest
1
-
1
Aston Villa
D
FC Porto
1
-
1
Nottingham Forest
D
- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 12/3
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 2/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5
AVL-Form
AVLFulham
1
-
0
Aston Villa
L
Aston Villa
4
-
3
Sunderland
W
Aston Villa
4
-
0
Bologna
W
Nottingham Forest
1
-
1
Aston Villa
D
Bologna
1
-
3
Aston Villa
W
- Goal Scored (Conceded)
- 12/6
- Games over 2.5 goals
- 3/5
- Both teams scored
- 3/5
Nottingham Forest head into this match in strong form, recording three wins and two draws from their last five games across all competitions. Their most recent outing was a commanding 5-0 victory over Sunderland in the Premier League, and they also beat Burnley 4-1 in that run. Forest drew 1-1 with both Aston Villa in the league and FC Porto in the Europa League, before beating Porto 1-0 in the return leg. Across those five matches, Forest scored 12 goals and conceded three, including back-to-back clean sheets in their two most recent fixtures.
Aston Villa's recent form is more mixed. Their last five games produced three wins, one draw, and one defeat. The most recent result was a 1-0 loss to Fulham in the Premier League, though that followed a 4-0 dismantling of Bologna in the Europa League and a 4-3 win at Sunderland. Villa drew 1-1 with Forest in the league and beat Bologna 3-1 away in the first leg of their European tie. They scored 13 goals across those five matches while conceding five.
Head-to-Head Record
NFOLast 5 matches
AVL1
Win
1
Draw
3
Wins
Nottingham Forest
1
-
1
Aston Villa
Aston Villa
3
-
1
Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa
2
-
1
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest
2
-
1
Aston Villa
Aston Villa
4
-
2
Nottingham Forest
Goals scored
11- Games over 2.5 goals
- 4/5
- Both teams scored
- 5/5
The most recent meeting between these two sides ended 1-1 at the City Ground on April 12, 2026, in the Premier League. Across the last five encounters, Aston Villa have the stronger record, winning three times to Forest's one, with one draw. Villa's victories include a 3-1 win in January 2026, a 2-1 win in April 2025, and a 4-2 win in February 2024, while Forest's sole win came in December 2024 when they beat Villa 2-1 at the City Ground.
Standings
In the Europa League, Aston Villa's second-place position means they enter this tie as one of the competition's leading contenders, while Nottingham Forest's 13th-place standing reflects the tougher path they have faced and the pressure on them to deliver a result at home to stay in the hunt.
Step-by-step VPN guide to watch Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa today
NordVPN- Download & Install: Sign up to ExpressVPN or another reputable VPN service (check out GOAL's guide here) and download the app on your device.
- Connect to a Server: Open the app and select a server location where the match is being shown (e.g. if you are in the UK but want to watch a US stream, connect to a US server).
- Clear Cache: Sometimes your browser holds onto your old location. Clear your cookies or refresh your browser to ensure the change takes effect.
- Start Streaming: Go to your broadcaster's website and app and enjoy the game.
How to watch on the Big Screen
Watching on your phone or laptop is fine, but live sports belongs on the big screen. Here is how to get the VPN working on your TV:
- Smart TVs & Fire Stick: Most Android-based TVs and devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick or Google Chromecast with Google TV have native VPN apps. Simply search for your VPN provider in the app store on your TV, log in, and connect just like you would on your phone.
- Apple TV, Roku & Consoles: These devices often don't support direct VPN apps. The easiest workaround is to use Smart DNS (usually found in your VPN account settings) or Mirror/Cast the stream from your VPN-connected phone or laptop to your TV.