Aston Villa predicted XI vs Nottingham Forest: Konsa-Torres core firms as left-back and midfield picks split preview consensus

Aston Villa are projected to field a 4-2-3-1 formation in their Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest on May 7, 2026, with Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres widely tipped to anchor the defense. Multiple preview outlets agree on that central pairing, and on a first-choice back four that includes Lucas Digne at left-back and Emiliano Martinez in goal. Yet beyond the Konsa-Torres spine, there is no unanimous projection of Unai Emery's starting XI, with disagreement persisting over selections at left-back and in the midfield pivot as Villa try to overturn a first-leg deficit.

The Details

The 4th Official, The Hard Tackle and Goal.mu all project Aston Villa in a 4-2-3-1 for the Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park. Each outlet lists the same defensive quartet: Emiliano Martinez in goal; Matty Cash at right-back; Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres as the center-back pairing; and Lucas Digne at left-back. In midfield, all three sources pair Youri Tielemans with Lamare Bogarde in a double pivot. Ahead of them, the projected attacking midfield trio across those previews is Emi Buendia, Morgan Rogers and John McGinn, with Ollie Watkins leading the line as the lone striker.

The Hard Tackle says Aston Villa are trying to overturn a one-goal aggregate deficit in the Europa League semi-final second leg at home, making the predicted lineup part of a comeback setup rather than a routine league rotation fixture. Goal says Unai Emery had rotated heavily in the Tottenham loss before this tie and is expected to restore first-choice players for the European second leg.

However, the predicted XI is not settled. Football Today projects Amadou Onana and John McGinn in the XI, diverging from the Tielemans-Bogarde pivot that dominates the consensus. SportsGambler goes further by replacing Digne with Ian Maatsen at left-back. The conflicting forecasts reflect genuine uncertainty in Emery's squad selection rather than minor editorial variance.

Team-news reporting across the previews consistently lists Boubacar Kamara as unavailable and Amadou Onana as a doubt, which helps explain why several outlets project Bogarde next to Tielemans. The absence of a fully fit Onana and the confirmed unavailability of Kamara narrow Emery's options in central midfield and push the projected selection toward Bogarde.

Context

Aston Villa enter the second leg trailing 1-0 from the first leg against Nottingham Forest, making every selection call consequential. Goal says Unai Emery had rotated heavily in the Tottenham loss before this tie and is expected to restore first-choice players for the European second leg. Football Today says Villa had lost three straight matches across all competitions entering the game, adding urgency to the selection debate around Emery's strongest available XI. The Hard Tackle says Aston Villa are trying to overturn a one-goal aggregate deficit in the Europa League semi-final second leg at home. With Boubacar Kamara unavailable and Amadou Onana doubtful, the midfield composition carries extra weight: Bogarde has emerged as the most frequently projected partner for Tielemans, but Football Today's inclusion of Onana shows the debate is still open among analysts.

What's Next

The full XI remains speculative until Aston Villa's official team news is released. The broadest consensus supports Konsa, Torres and Digne in defense, with Bogarde and Tielemans in midfield and Watkins up front, but left-back and midfield selections are still debated across the preview landscape. Once Emery confirms his squad, the only certainty is that Villa must score at least once at home to force extra time and twice to win the tie outright, given the first-leg defeat.