Watkins hopes that team cohesion and experience will help Aston Villa take another step forward in European competitions.

Aston Villa will travel to Nottingham Forest for the first leg of the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League semi-final. England striker Watkins has stated that he hopes team cohesion and past experience will allow them to take another step forward in European competition.

In the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, Aston Villa secured a 4-0 victory over Bologna, thanks to goals from Watkins, Buendia, Morgan Rodgers, and Konsa, thus advancing to the semi-finals. However, it was a disappointing result for Emery's team in their earlier Premier League match, where they suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Fulham.

Aston Villa striker Watkins said, "Thinking back to the game against Olympiacos two years ago was a special experience. I think it was in the European Championship, and we were very excited because the club had been participating in that competition for a long time. For me personally, it was my first time participating in a European competition, and for many of my teammates, it was the same, so the atmosphere at the club was very exciting."

"Being eliminated in that match was difficult for us because we had performed exceptionally well that season, and we thought it would be the icing on the cake. We played very well at the time, but we didn't live up to that performance. We also have to give credit to Olympiacos, as the expectation from the outside world was that we would win the championship."

Watkins shared, "The Champions League is a completely different story, but the experience from the previous year and the rhythm we gradually developed in European competitions really helped us. We've performed exceptionally well in European competitions this season, so this cohesion, combined with past experience, I think we've learned a lot, and now we need to put all that together and take another step forward."

As for Nottingham Forest, Vitor Pereira's team has achieved an unbeaten record of 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 Premier League matches, demonstrating excellent overall form. In head-to-head records, Aston Villa has a record of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in their last 5 encounters with Nottingham Forest.

Speaking about their opponents, Watkins said, "Nottingham Forest are in good form right now and are on a roll. They will do everything they can to put us down and try to win the game. But I think we are also in good form, and everyone is really looking forward to this match."

"As players, our growth has been amazing, and of course, it is inseparable from the efforts of the head coach. He did not bring in too many players, but we have achieved a lot under his leadership."

Watkins also stated, "I think the reason we've been able to keep improving is because we reach new milestones every season. But if we can achieve our goals this season and secure Champions League qualification again, it will undoubtedly be our most successful season yet."

"It felt incredible when we qualified for the Champions League a few years ago, but personally, I have never lifted a trophy. I have some teammates in the dressing room who have won different titles, and I envy them a lot because when you look back on your career, you always hope to have achieved something."

Watkins added, "This has always been my goal, but I've always been one step short, both at the club and with the England national team, and it's something I've been striving to achieve."

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