Why romance of Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest’s European tie is an antidote to modern football

SportFootballWhy romance of Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest’s European tie is an antidote to modern footballNottingham Forest and Aston Villa face off this week and next, both aiming to write another chapter in their rich European historiesRichard Jolly Senior Football Correspondent Thursday 30 April 2026 07:28 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2967405","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/nottingham-forest-aston-villa-europa-league-b2967405.html","title":"Why romance of Aston Villa and Forest’s semi-final is an antidote to modern football"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-30187","index":0}Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa have years of history in Europe (Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and go beyond the game with exclusive insightsJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterTRY 1 MONTH FOR FREEI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Football_CDP","regTitle":"Miguel Delaney: Inside Football","subscriptionGroup":"readingTheGame","subscriptionGroupId":"d6776bff-0bec-4d53-a0ce-bd38db6811e5","type":"football","pathPrefix":["/sport/football","/topic/fantasy-football"],"associatedAuthors":["Miguel Delaney","Richard Jolly"],"title":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and go beyond the game with exclusive insights","mobileTitle":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/miguelDelaney1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveIndyFootballNews","regSourceSe...