Does Douglas Luiz play today? Nottingham Forest x Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-final

Douglas Luiz lives a special moment this Thursday at City Ground. The Brazilian midfielder defends Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest, the club where he played on loan at the beginning of the season. The match opens the Liga Europa semifinal.

The game starts at 4pm (Brasília time). Vitor Pereira commands Forest at home. Unai Emery leads Aston Villa. The winner carries the advantage into the return game at Villa Park.

Douglas Luiz, the return to the old club

The 27-year-old midfielder left Forest in January 2026 to return to Aston Villa. Ele accumulates important minutes in the final stretch of the season and seeks to help the team reach the European final.

Sua experience on City Ground can make a difference. Douglas Luiz knows the opposing fans and the pitch well. No Aston Villa, he acts as a midfield option alongside Tielemans and McGinn.

• Douglas Luiz (21)
• Youri Tielemans
• John McGinn
• Morgan Rogers
• Emiliano Buendía

Unai Emery must play Emiliano Martínez in goal. The defense has Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and Lucas Digne. Ollie Watkins leads the attack.

Escalação likely from Nottingham Forest

Vitor Pereira prepares the team with Stefan Ortega in goal. The defensive line has Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Morato and Neco Williams. In between, Ibrahim Sangaré and Elliot Anderson provide support.

Igor Jesus appears as the main reference in the attack, accompanied by Morgan Gibbs-White and Omari Hutchinson.

• Stefan Ortega
• Ola Aina
• Nikola Milenkovic
• Morato
• Neco Williams
• Ibrahim Sangaré
• Elliot Anderson
• Morgan Gibbs-White
• Omari Hutchinson
• Igor Jesus

Forest arrives motivated after beating Premier League. The team struggles in the national table, but shows strength in European competitions.

Onde watch live

CazéTV broadcasts the confrontation. UEFA-rights streaming Plataformas also airs. Aplicativos officials from Liga Europa offer real-time tracking.

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Desfalques on both sides

Nottingham Forest continues without Callum Hudson-Odoi, Murillo, John Victor, Nicolò Savona and Willy Boly. Jair Cunha is doubtful due to a shoulder injury.

No Aston Villa, Boubacar Kamara remains out with knee problems. Amadou Onana undergoes last-minute evaluation.

Teams recent Forma

Forest beat Sunderland 5-0 last weekend. Antes, tied with Burnley and advanced on Liga Europa with consistency.

Aston Villa lost to Fulham 1-0 by Premier League. Na Europa, the team beat Bologna 4-0 and demonstrated good offensive power. Douglas Luiz contributed minutes in this sequence.

Confrontos live and historical

The teams drew 1-1 in the last duel for Campeonato Inglês. Aston Villa has the edge in overall track record, but Forest tends to struggle at home.

• Últimos five Forest games: win, win, draw, win, win
• Últimos five Aston Villa games: loss, win, win, draw, win
• Último clash: 1-1 draw

Detalhes from the match

City Ground should receive a large audience. The Forest fans support them in search of a positive result in the semi-final. The referee is the Portuguese João Pinheiro.

The weather in Nottingham this Thursday is cloudy, with a low chance of rain. The temperature must remain mild.

Aston Villa dreams of the Liga Europa final. Douglas Luiz, with its recent transition to Forest, represents an important piece in Emery’s strategy.