Two of the Premier League's form teams go head-to-head on Saturday when Midlands clubs Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest do battle.
Villa, who may have one eye on their Champions League quarter-final first leg with Paris Saint-Germain this Wednesday, have won their last six matches in all competitions and are in the closing stages of another mightily impressive campaign under Unai Emery. Still in the hunt for the top four, the weekend duel with high-flying Forest could prove pivotal in European qualification.
After beating Manchester United on Tuesday night, Nuno Espirito Santo's side took another sizeable step towards securing Champions League football themselves next season. Their staggering campaign, which has also seen them qualify for the FA Cup semi-finals, will get even better should they triumph this weekend.
Here is 90min's guide to the duel between former European champions.
What time does Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest kick-off?
- Location:Birmingham, England
- Stadium:Villa Park
- Date:Saturday 5 April
- Kick-off Time:17:30 BST / 12:30 ET / 09:30 PT
- Referee: Simon Hooper
- VAR: Michael Oliver
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest head-to-head record (last five games)
- Aston Villa: 2 wins
- Nottingham Forest: 2 wins
- Draws: 1
- Last meeting: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa (14 December 2024) - Premier League
Current form (all competitions)
Aston Villa | Nottingham Forest |
|---|---|
Brighton 0-3 Aston Villa - 02/04/25 | Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man Utd - 01/04/25 |
Preston 0-3 Aston Villa - 30/03/25 | Brighton 0-0 (3-4p) Nottingham Forest - 29/03/25 |
Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge - 12/03/25 | Ipswich 2-4 Nottingham Forest - 15/03/25 |
Brentford 0-1 Aston Villa - 08/03/25 | Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man City - 08/03/25 |
Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa - 04/03/25 | Nottingham Forest 1-1 (5-4p) Ipswich - 03/03/25 |
How to watch Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest on TV - UK & US
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra, NOW TV |
United States | fuboTV, nbcsports.com, NBC Sports App, UNIVERSO NOW, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, USA Network, UNIVERSO |
Canada | fuboTV Canada |
Aston Villa team news
Villa will be without Ross Barkley again on Saturday and Leon Bailey could miss the clash with Forest, too. The Jamaica international was absent for the 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion midweek with a knock.
Emery may be tempted to rotate ahead of Wednesday's clash against his former employers PSG, with winter signings Donyell Malen, who scored against the Seagulls, and Andres Garcia both potentially coming into the starting XI given they have been omitted from Villa's Champions League squad.
Amadou Onana, Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins could be other alterations from the Brighton win.
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Garcia, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Malen, Asensio, Ramsey; Watkins.
Nottingham Forest team news
Forest don't have many injuries but they're likely to be without their top scorer for the trip to Villa Park. Chris Wood is still absent with a hip problem sustained on international duty. The New Zealand international has missed both matches since returning to Nottingham.
Ola Aina was withdrawn during the first half of Tuesday's win over Man Utd with a calf injury and remains a significant doubt for Saturday. On the other flank, left-back loanee Alex Moreno is ineligible to face his parent club.
Callum Hudson-Odoi missed the midweek clash due to personal reasons and it remains unclear whether he will return to the squad this weekend.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Toffolo; Dominguez, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Sosa; Awoniyi.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest score prediction
Villa and Forest have both been recent over-performers in the Premier League, assembling well-organised and impressive squads capable of bettering anyone on their day. It will be intriguing to see who blinks first on Saturday, with the Villans boasting home advantage but their visitors exceptional on the counter-attack.
Villa's upcoming European encounter certainly hands Forest a slight advantage, with changes possible within Emery's starting lineup. But Saturday's hosts are in such impressive form that they're likely to get at least a point from the encounter.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Nottingham Forest
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