Unai Emery insists Aston Villa would not consider it a failure if they fall short of reaching the Europa League final, ahead of Thursday's second leg against Nottingham Forest.

Chris Wood's second-half penalty decided last Thursday's first semi-final matchup at the City Ground, leaving Villa with it all to do on home soil.

The Opta supercomputer now assigns Villa a 22.9% chance of lifting the trophy, with Forest (39.4%) and Braga (25.4%) more favoured.

Emery's team had been considered overwhelming favourites to win the competition all season, though, with the Spaniard yet to deliver silverware to Villa Park after losing in the Conference League semi-finals in 2023-24 and the Champions League quarter-finals last term. 

But when asked if going out in the last four would be a failure for Villa, Emery told reporters: "To reach a semi-final is a huge achievement. 

"Winning a trophy is very difficult. Very, very, very difficult. It's not a defeat if we are not achieving a trophy. 

"The only way forwards is to keep going, improving, having opportunities in the present and the future. We have the opportunity now, but only one team can win.

"When I spoke before the first leg, we had 25% of the possibility to win a trophy. Now it's maybe less because we started losing. 

"We have 50% or maybe less chance of playing in the final. This is football, and you must respect every competition and, in Europe, you must respect each team."

Thursday night. Together as one. pic.twitter.com/qEFLG9v6R2

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 5, 2026

The last team to overturn a first-leg deficit in a major European tie against an opponent from the same nation was Atletico Madrid versus Barcelona in the 2015-16 Champions League quarter-finals (1-2 away, 2-0 home).

Villa are on a nine-game winning streak in home European games, though, since a 0-0 draw with Juventus in last season's Champions League. The Villans have also scored in 31 of their last 32 such matches at Villa Park, with that goalless draw the sole exception.

Emery was then asked if this season's Europa League represented his best opportunity to win silverware with the club, but he believes there will be more chances in the future. 

"We are usually getting higher level with the club, with the players. We are improving – myself as well," Emery added.

"We will have, after tomorrow [Thursday], a way to set ourselves more challenges for the present or future. I don't think tomorrow [Europa League] is the last opportunity for us, or for anyone.

"The players, of course, are enjoying the process we are doing. They are aware of the difficulties football can give you, but the greatest moment we have had here at Aston Villa for the last three years... it's that we can smile and be proud of everything.

"But, of course, we are still so demanding, so consistent with everything we are doing. It's not going to break anything in our thinking, our process of how things are improving."