Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest’s Europa League semi-final rivals, are awaiting an update on Amadou Onana’s condition ahead of their upcoming encounter. The two Premier League clubs will contest the first leg of the semi-final at the City Ground on Thursday evening (8pm start). The second meeting is scheduled for Villa Park seven days later, with a spot in next month’s Istanbul final at stake. Onana sat out Villa’s 1-0 loss at Fulham last Saturday owing to a minor knee issue. Manager Unai Emery revealed the player had experienced “a small pain” prior to his team’s journey to London. The 24-year-old will undergo a late assessment before the confrontation at the Riverside End. Leading up to the weekend, Onana had begun nine successive Premier League matches, in addition to nine of Villa’s previous 10 Europa League fixtures. During his press conference, Emery addressed questions regarding Onana’s availability. He stated: “We train this afternoon (Wednesday). We will see how he is responding – if he is feeling good to play tomorrow. “Some players have small pain, like Onana. He was being tested yesterday and today we must test again. “We play tomorrow 100 per cent every player. In case not, we must respond with the players who are ready.” Villa will be absent Ross Barkley and Alysson for the match against Forest, as neither featured in the club’s European squad for the knockout phase. Boubacar Kamara continues to recover from a long-term knee injury sustained in January. Forest also face fitness concerns before the fixture. Central defender Murillo has been declared unavailable for the midweek match with a likely hamstring issue. Fellow Brazilian defender Jair Cunha participated in Thursday’s practice after being substituted during the second half of last Friday’s 5-0 victory over Sunderland due to an injury. Midfielder Ibrahim Sangare and winger Dan Ndoye did not take part in the session, with both completing individual work inside.