Aston Villa will look to open up the gap to Tottenham when they welcome Nottingham Forest to Villa Park on Saturday.
Gameweek 26 of the 2023/24 Premier League season gets underway on Saturday with four simultaneous fixtures. There is no early kick-off this weekend, with 3 pm games beginning the latest round of fixtures. One of those will have Aston Villa hosting Nottingham Forest at Villa Park.
Very few would have predicted Aston Villa to be a contender for a top-four finish despite the impressive performances under Unai Emery last season. But the Villans have been excellent this term as they occupy the fourth spot on the table. While their form has stumbled in the last few weeks, the win over Fulham helped them leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur in the standings.
As for Nottingham Forest, they have endured a topsy-turvy ride thus far this term. The Midlands outfit parted ways with Steve Cooper several weeks ago, replacing him with Nuno Espirito Santo. But the Portuguese tactician has not galvanised the squad as well as he would have liked. While the Tricky Trees bounced back with a win last weekend, that is their only victory in five Premier League games.
The reverse fixture saw Nottingham Forest clinch a surprise 2-0 win over Aston Villa, with Ola Aina and Orel Mangala finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery has a new fitness concern hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, the Aston Villa manager will be bereft of the services of six first-team players.
Boubacar Kamara is the latest absentee, with the Frenchman picking up a season-ending knee injury last weekend. Kamara has joined Tyrone Mings (knee), Diego Carlos (hamstring), Ezri Konsa (knee), Jhon Duran (muscular), and Emiliano Buendia (knee) on the sidelines.
Emiliano Martinez will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-4-1-1 formation in front of him against Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, the depleted backline should feature Matty Cash, Pau Torres, Clement Lenglet, and Alex Moreno.
As for the midfield unit, John McGinn will likely move into a central role in Kamara’s absence, pairing up with Douglas Luiz in the middle of the park. Jacob Ramsey and Youri Tielemans will have free roles, while Leon Bailey will heap the pressure from the right flank. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest.
Probable Lineup (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Cash, Torres, Lenglet, Moreno; Bailey, Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey; Tielemans; Watkins
Nottingham Forest
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Nuno Espirito Santo has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Villa Park. The Nottingham Forest manager will be without two first-team players on Saturday.
Gonzalo Montiel and Chris Wood are the only absentees, with the duo recovering from their respective hamstring injuries. But Ola Aina, Willy Boly, and Ibrahim Sangare should return after recovering from their excursions at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nottingham Forest will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Aston Villa, with Mats Sels taking his place in the goal. The backline should feature Neco Williams, Felipe, Murillo, and Nuno Tavares.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Danilo and Nicolas Dominguez in the double pivot. Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the no. 10 role, looking to influence the proceedings in the final third. Meanwhile, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi will be the two wide attackers, with Taiwo Awoniyi spearheading the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Felipe, Murillo, Tavares; Danilo, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi
Key Stats
- Following the 2-0 win at the City Ground in November, Nottingham Forest will look to complete a league double over Aston Villa for the first time since the 1984/85 season.
- After a 17-game unbeaten home run (W16 D1) in the Premier League, Aston Villa have lost their last two games at Villa Park. They last lost three successive Premier League matches in November 2020 under Dean Smith.
- Nottingham Forest have scored in all eight Premier League games under Nuno Espirito Santo, netting 15 goals in total. That is just two fewer goals than they scored in 17 league games under Steve Cooper this season.
- Unai Emery has won just one of his six meetings with Nuno Espirito Santo (D3 L2). He is without a win in all three Premier League meetings with the Portuguese manager (D2 L1).
- Ollie Watkins has been involved in 23 Premier League goals this season, scoring 13 and assisting ten. Only Dwight Yorke in 1995/96 (27) has ever been involved in more strikes for Aston Villa in a single Premier League campaign.
Player to Watch
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Ollie Watkins will invariably have the spotlight on him amid his excellent run of form. But we have picked Callum Hudson-Odoi for this section, as his output will be the key to beating Aston Villa this weekend.
The 23-year-old has come into his own since joining Nottingham Forest, although he took some time to get going. But after scoring three goals in as many games, he has become a pivotal figure for the Tricky Trees. Expect him to continue his run and help Nottingham Forest take the game to Aston Villa.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest might not have set the stage alight in most games under the tutelage of Nuno Espirito Santo. But the Tricky Trees has an excellent scoring record in the eight Premier League games under the Portuguese tactician, finding the back of the net in every match.
That run should continue this weekend, especially with Aston Villa looking vulnerable at the back. But the away side will unlikely have the quality to topple Unai Emery’s men, who should clinch a hard-fought win on Saturday. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for the Villans, with Ollie Watkins scoring a match-winning brace.
