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Nottingham Forest will take on Aston Villa on Sunday, 12 April, in a match that will have an impact on both ends of the Premier League table.
The hosts, who are enjoying another brilliant campaign under Unai Emery, have the chance to move back up to third with a victory at Villa Park. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, could potentially move five points clear of the drop zone with a win.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our free expert Premier League predictions.
Contents
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa key stats
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten across their last three Premier League matches.
- Aston Villa have won just one of their last five Premier League matches.
- Both teams have scored in each of the last four meetings between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa preview: Hosts to take something
| Nottingham Forest | vs | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| 16th | Position | 4th |
| 32 | Points | 54 |
| 31 | Goals For | 42 |
| 43 | Goals Against | 37 |
| 8 | Clean Sheets | 9 |
| 17th | Home Rank | 4th |
| 11th | Away Rank | 7th |
Nottingham Forest have turned a corner under Vitor Pereira, making the club's decision to roll the dice on a fourth manager this season look like the correct one.
The former Wolves boss has taken the club out of the bottom three and to the brink of a Europa League semi-final, meaning Forest could still end the campaign looking forward to both Premier League and Champions League football next season.
Pereira's men come into this match following a 1-1 draw away in Porto on Thursday night. Under normal circumstances, that would put them on the back foot for a match three days later, but Villa are in the same boat, having played in Bologna on the same evening.
Forest came through the match in Portugal without any fresh injuries, but John Victor, Willy Boly, Nicolo Savona and Jair Cunha remain in the treatment room. Elliot Anderson will be nice and fresh after sitting out Thursday's clash due to suspension.
As for Aston Villa, their last Premier League fixture brought about an end to a four-match winless run, which saw them drop out of the top three for the first time in 2026.
Victory over West Ham put them back on track, and now that it has been confirmed that fifth place will be enough for a place in next season's Champions League, their task from now until the end of the season is a little simpler.
The Villains enjoyed a brilliant 3-1 win over Bologna on Thursday night, and Emery will be hoping that momentum can now carry his side to their season objectives.
The Spaniard will be well aware that he could have a Europa League semi-final with Forest to look forward to in a couple of weeks, and he is experienced enough to know that a defeat here could give the Reds a psychological edge ahead of that potential tie.
On the injury front, Emery will be without Jadon Sancho, Alysson and Boubacar Kamara for the trip to the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa form guide & betting tips
| Nottingham Forest | vs | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| L-L-D-D-W | League Form | D-L-L-L-W |
| 5 | Points | 4 |
| 14th | Form Table | 17th |
| 6 | Goals For | 5 |
| 5 | Goals Against | 10 |
| W-W-D | Form (all comps) | W-W-W |
Whispers predicts: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
It's hard to back Villa to win here, considering they haven't won a Premier League away match since the end of January. At the same time, they are better equipped to deal with the short turnaround than their opponents. The draw has been priced at 23/10.
Since Forest's promotion in 2022, only two of the seven matches contested between these two teams have failed to produce goals at both ends. BTTS has been priced at 3/4.
Ollie Watkins has scored three goals in his last two outings for Aston Villa. Watkins is priced at 2/1 to score anytime on Sunday.
> Draw at 23/10 | Likelihood: Possible
> BTTS at 3/4 | Likelihood: Probable
> Ollie Watkins to score anytime at 2/1 | Likelihood: Possible