Emery aims to write 'new chapter' in Europe with Villa

Unai Emery said he wanted to write a "new chapter" with Aston Villa as he prepares for a Europa League semi-final against fellow former European champions Nottingham Forest.

The two Premier League clubs, who will meet in Thursday's first leg at the City Ground, are one step away from a first continental final in decades.

Forest won the Champions League, then called the European Cup, in 1979 and 1980, and Villa were champions in 1982 during a golden spell for English clubs.

Emery has revived the Birmingham team since he was appointed as manager in 2022 but they have still not won a major trophy for 30 years.

Villa lost in the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League in the 2023/24 season, to Olympiakos, and again in last year's FA Cup semi-final against eventual winners Crystal Palace.

Villa go into Thursday's match against Forest knowing they are firmly on course to qualify for next season's Champions League, with the top five Premier League teams guaranteed entry into Europe's premier club competition.

Emery said he wanted to write a "new chapter" with Villa.

"We are going to try to use our experiences to try to get better in this one," the Spaniard said at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

"But of course I know how difficult it is to win a semi-final, because it is 50/50 between both teams, and they have as well, good players, a good coach, experienced coach in Europe.

"They have as well, I think their momentum, feeling confidence in the moment they are (in)."

Emery has a proud record in the Europa League, masterminding four triumphs in total with Sevilla and Villarreal.

"Of course I have my own experiences before, and in this competition, and different momentum as well, but it's completely different," he said.

"In football, everything you were doing before –- maybe it's fantastic, maybe not –- but it's done, and now is a new chapter, and I want to write a new chapter here."

Emery expects a tough test from Forest, who are unbeaten in their past eight matches in all competitions -- a run that has helped ease their fears of relegation.

"They have their history, Nottingham Forest in Europe, winning the Champions League," he said. "And we have our history as well, but not recently, and recently, we want to try, both teams, to keep doing something important in Europe."