Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches, but have not been able to win those matches, and a victory vs Aston Villa will be crucial. The Tricky Trees have picked up just one win from their last six Premier League matches.
Vitor Pereira’s men need to turn the drawers into wins to secure safety, especially after West Ham United’s commanding win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. On the other hand, Aston Villa ended their disappointing run of form with a win over West Ham United in the Premier League before the international break.
The Villans had failed to win four league matches in a row prior to that. Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s men also beat Bologna in the UEFA Europa League earlier this week. They will look to boost their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification with a win here.
Aston Villa cannot afford to drop points in these matches. They have an impressive record against Nottingham Forest, and it remains to be seen whether they can get the job done. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
John Victor, Nicolo Savona, Jair Cunha, and Willy Boly are ruled out due to their respective knee injuries. Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Aston Villa on Sunday, with Matz Sels in goal.
Neco Williams and Ola Aina will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and help out going forward. Murillo will start alongside Nikola Milenkovic in the central defensive partnership.
Ibrahim Sangare will add physicality and drive to the midfield alongside Elliot Anderson, who will aim to provide defensive cover and control. Morgan Gibbs-White will add creativity and goals to the side in the final third.
Omari Hutchinson and Callum Hudson-Odoi will start on the flanks, and they will look to add pace, flair, and unpredictability going forward. Finally, Igor Jesus will spearhead the Nottingham Forest attack vs Aston Villa on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus
Boubacar Kamara has a knee injury, and Jadon Sancho could miss out with a shoulder injury. Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Nottingham Forest, with Emiliano Martinez in goal.
Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will pair up alongside Pau Torres at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz will provide defensive cover and control from the double pivot. Morgan Rogers will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, looking to link the midfield to the attack.
Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn will start on the flanks. They will look to create goal-scoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Luiz; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Nottingham Forest have been quite poor defensively, and Rogers could cause all sorts of problems for them in the final third. He will look to create opportunities for his teammates and score. The Englishman has done quite well for Aston Villa this season, and they will look to him to make a big difference in the final third.
The Aston Villa star has the technical attributes and vision to break down the Nottingham Forest defence, and the home team will need to keep him quiet if they want to get a good result.
Both teams will be desperate for a win for very different reasons. They will not want to drop points here. This is likely to be a close contest, and the two sides are likely to get on the score sheet.
However, Aston Villa have more firepower in their offensive unit, and they should be able to grind out all three points. A narrow win for the away team is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Unai Emery and his charges.
