Villa go to the City Ground for the first-leg of their Europa League semifinal.
“Looking back at Olympiacos, it was one of those games where, I think from the Conference League, we were at that excitement, as a club we hadn't been in that competition for so long,” Watkins reflected.
“Personally, it was my first time playing in Europe and a lot of the other boys, so the excitement around the whole place was unbelievable.
“And to go out that night, it was really difficult for us because we had such an amazing season and we thought that could be the cherry on top.
“We were playing such good football and we just didn't really turn up, and fair play to Olympiacos. The expectation with that was for us to win it.
“Obviously, the Champions League was a different story. But that experience from the previous year and just having that rhythm in Europe has definitely helped us.
“This year, our form has been amazing in Europe. So, that togetherness and obviously going from previous, I think we've learned a lot and now we need to pull together with that experience and go one more.”
Watkins added: “Forest have picked up some momentum at the moment and they're in a good moment, and they're going to be doing all they can to shut us down and win the game.
“But I think we're in a good place and everyone's looking forward to it.”