Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will have the chance to return to the top four when they clash at the City Ground on Saturday.
Gameweek 16 of the 2024/25 Premier League season starts with an unusual Saturday, as it will feature only five games instead of the usual higher number. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with four simultaneous matches before ending with Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest’s momentum might have shifted in recent weeks, but they showcased their trademark doggedness to get the better of Manchester United last weekend. With the fixtures becoming relatively undemanding in the coming matchdays, Nuno Espirito Santo will aim to keep his team in the top-four race, with the win over Manchester United leaving them only two points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are level on points, with the home side ahead on goal difference. Like the Tricky Trees, the Villans have blown hot and cold in recent weeks. However, things have turned around in the last few matches, with Unai Emery’s men winning three successive matches, two of them in the Premier League.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-0 win for Nottingham Forest, 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
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Nottingham Forest manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Aston Villa on Saturday.
Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) remain long-term absentees and will not return until next year. Alex Moreno is the only other absentee, with the Spanish full-back ineligible to take on parent club Aston Villa on Saturday.
Matz Sels will take his spot between the sticks, with Nottingham Forest lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Saturday. The backline should feature Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Neco Williams.
As for the midfield unit, Elliot Anderson should pair up with Ryan Yates in the double pivot. The pair will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jota Silva and Callum Hudson-Odoi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Jota, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Aston Villa
Unlike his counterpart in the Nottingham Forest dugout, Unai Emery has a new injury concern hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the City Ground. The Aston Villa manager might be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Ollie Watkins might be the latest absentee after picking up a knock earlier this week against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League. Leon Bailey is closing in on returning but might not be fit enough to start against Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Jacob Ramsey will be unavailable until next month.
Emiliano Martinez is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The backline should feature Matty Cash, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, and Ian Maatsen.
As for the midfield unit, Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans will pair up in the double pivot, aiming to pull the strings from the middle of the park. Morgan Rogers will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jaden Philogene and John McGinn completing the supporting cast for central striker Jhon Duran.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Tielemans; Philogene, Rogers, McGinn; Duran
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have won only two of their last 18 games vs Aston Villa across all competitions, most recently by 2-0 at home in the Premier League 13 months ago (D7 L9). However, the Villans are winless in five Premier League visits to City Ground, drawing four of them, since a 2-1 triumph in January 1995.
- Nottingham Forest have won seven of their 15 Premier League matches this season. The Tricky Trees’ eighth victory last term came in their 36th outing. They have won three of their four most recent home league games, as many as in their previous 17, all but three of which came under Nuno Espirito Santo.
- Aston Villa have earned three successive victories in all competitions, as many as in their previous 13 matches. However, the Villans are winless in their last four top-flight fixtures immediately after a UEFA Champions League game (D2 L2).
- Nottingham Forest have opened the scoring in a league-high 12 matches in 2024/25. On the other hand, Aston Villa are vying to keep successive Premier League clean sheets for the first time in a year.
- Jhon Duran is one short of equalling the Premier League record of seven goals scored by a substitute in a calendar year. Four players share the record. The Colombian international has made all but four of his 50 Premier League appearances as a substitute.
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
Few would have envisioned such an exceptional campaign for Chris Wood. The experienced striker has scored ten Premier League goals this season, one more than the rest of the Nottingham Forest squad combined.
Wood’s tally of 17 top-flight goals in 2024 is the highest by a Nottingham Forest player in a calendar year since 1987 when Nigel Clough scored 19. Meanwhile, all four of Wood’s goals in his six Premier League starts against Aston Villa came in the 79th minute or later while being the final goal of the game. However, the 33-year-old will hope to get the job done earlier this time.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest will aim to take advantage of Aston Villa’s post-UEFA Champions League blues, with Unai Emery’s men failing to win their four games after playing a game in Europe this season.
In addition, the Villans have lost all three Premier League matches without scoring this season against teams above them in the table before this weekend. However, that run will end on Saturday, as there might not be much to separate the two teams. With both sides showing defensive frailties, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw between them.
