(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Fri 24 April 2026 19:15, UK

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Aston Villa have already seen their hopes of reaching the Europa League final receive a huge boost with the news that Nottingham Forest defender Murillo is likely to be out for the first leg.

The Premier League sides are set to meet in the semi-final across two legs in the coming weeks, with the first clash taking place at the City Ground on 30 April.

A place in the final against either Freiburg or Braga is on the line for the victors, with qualification for next season’s Champions League the ultimate goal at the end of the road.

Unai Emery’s side have lost just one of their last five meetings with the Reds in all competitions, and they will now be feeling even more confident heading into the tie.

Villa have their eyes on Europa League glory, and a positive result in the first game could potentially see them put one foot in the final.

Ollie Watkins to back himself to score against makeshift centre-back pairing

Villa have an away trip to Fulham on the agenda first on Saturday lunchtime, but they will surely already have one eye on next week’s huge European encounter.

Ollie Watkins is sure to already be licking his lips at the prospect of getting onto the pitch at the City Ground, with Vitor Pereira suggesting that Murillo is likely to be ruled out of the clash.

The Portuguese boss ruled the defender out of his side’s Friday night trip to Sunderland in his pre-match press conference, and also added: “I’m not a doctor, I cannot predict, but I think it will be more than one game.”

Early expectations from the East Midlands outfit are clearly that Murillo is unlikely to be fit to face Villa, meaning that either Morato or Jair Cunha will be called upon to deputise alongside Nikola Milenkovic.

That will be music to the ears of Watkins, who has already found the back of the net with Murillo on the pitch this season, and will surely now be fancying his chances against a more makeshift centre-back pairing.

The England international netted the opener for his side in the 3-1 win over Forest back in January, and he will hope for an even more profitable evening, now that Forest look set to be forced into an unwanted change.

Watkins has turned his future at Aston Villa on its head

Former Villa scout Mick Brown told Football Insider earlier this week that Emery may block Watkins’ exit this summer, amid recent suggestions that the club could finally take the chance to cash in on him.

Those discussions came during a time when the frontman was desperately struggling for form in front of goal, but he has since responded to the speculation surrounding his future in typically impressive fashion.

The 30-year-old has struck six goals in his last five games to remind everyone of the quality that he possesses, and Brown expects that Emery will try to use his authority to keep him around this summer.

Watkins will be hoping to find the back of the net again at Craven Cottage this weekend, while also being keen to carry his strong scoring form into the first leg of the Europa League clash.

Villa have got their hearts set on securing European glory at the end of the campaign, and their leading striker will be crucial to their efforts.