Europa League semi-finals: What to look out for in the second legs

Nottingham Forest hold a slim edge as their all-English tie with Aston Villa concludes, while Freiburg look to bounce back from a late first-leg defeat to Braga in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second legs on Thursday 7 May.

We preview the deciders.

Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest

The story: "We know going to Villa Park, it's going to be a tough game," said Chris Wood, whose 71st-minute penalty gave Nottingham Forest control of the tie. Ending Aston Villa's run of nine successive Europa League victories, Vítor Pereira praised his proactive side's spirit after the 1-0 first-leg win: "I have the honour and the privilege to be the manager of these boys; they are fantastic."

A good way above Forest in the Premier League, Unai Emery's side have already beaten the Reds 3-1 this season, and Matty Cash is not short of belief: "There's loads of football still to play with our people at home."

"We are still in the game [...] the manager has said the game is nowhere near done," he added – with Unai Emery, the competition's most successful coach ever with four titles, offering further reason for that confidence.

The stat: The first leg was the first all‑English European semi‑final since the 2008/09 Champions League, when Manchester United defeated Arsenal 4-1 on aggregate.

Freiburg vs Braga

The story: In their first European semi-final, Freiburg recovered after conceding early in Braga and had Noah Atubolu to thank for a superb first-half penalty save, only to suffer the late blow of a 92nd-minute winner in a keenly-contested 2-1 defeat.

"The start and the end were not good for us," said coach Julian Schuster, whose side have won all six of their home games in the campaign, adding: "We remain positive for the second leg. The team have the quality to come back. With our supporters behind us and playing at home, we have the confidence to deliver a better performance and win the second match."

Should Braga need belief, their run of eight straight successes in two-legged European ties should suffice. "We played a very good game with a lot of personality against a team that presses very high," said forward Pau Víctor, calling on his team-mates to repeat the trick if they are to reach the final. "We knew how to find the free man. We have a very good squad with players who can play in many positions and several options when someone is unavailable. We don't have indispensable players – that's our secret."

The stat: The first leg was Braga's 100th match in the Europa League proper – more than any other club.

Europa League final: Istanbul

Istanbul's Beşiktaş Park will stage the 2026 UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday 20 May 2026.

UEFA via Getty Images