Birmingham: Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, two clubs with proud European pedigrees, meet in the Europa League semifinals Thursday just one-step away from their first continental final in decades, the Daily Sabah reported.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, English clubs dominated the European Cup, now known as the Champions League, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with two triumphs for Forest and one for Villa. However, the clubs, located just 80 kilometres (50 miles) apart in the English Midlands, have had contrasting seasons as they prepare for the first leg Thursday.
Unai Emery’s Villa are on course for a return to Europe’s top club competition after a strong Premier League campaign. Forest, by contrast, remain at risk of relegation, though the club have turned a corner under Vitor Pereira, who is their fourth manager during a chaotic campaign. The club are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, reaching a first European semifinal in 42 years.
Should Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, the sixth-placed team in the Premier League would qualify for the Champions League. Forest host Villa in the first leg of the semifinal Thursday, with the second leg taking place a week later.