Nottingham Forest is just 90 minutes away from rewriting history. The Premier League side takes a slender 1-0 lead to Birmingham for Thursday's Europa League semifinal second leg against Aston Villa, with both clubs dreaming of their first European final in decades.

For Forest, the stakes couldn't be higher. It's been 46 years since the club, now fighting relegation, lifted the European Cup under the legendary Brian Clough in 1979 and 1980. Remarkably, Forest enters the match unbeaten in its last 10 games across all competitions, though the availability of attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White remains uncertain after he suffered a facial injury in Monday's 3-1 Premier League win over Chelsea.

Aston Villa, European champions themselves in 1982, know the feeling of continental glory. Currently sitting fifth in the Premier League and eyeing another Champions League berth after reaching the quarterfinals last season, Villa has reached its second European semifinal in three years. But to advance, they'll need to snap a three-game losing streak at Villa Park—a daunting task against a resurgent Forest side.

In the other semifinal, Freiburg faces a tough task after losing 2-1 to Braga in Portugal. The Bundesliga side has enjoyed its best European campaign, while Braga hopes to return to the final after falling 1-0 to domestic rival Porto in 2011.

Meanwhile, in the third-tier Conference League, Crystal Palace is in control of its semifinal against Shakhtar Donetsk after a 3-1 win last week. If Palace advances in its maiden European campaign, English clubs could compete in all three European finals—a testament to the depth and quality of the Premier League.