When Aston Villa hosts Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday, they will aim to close the distance with Tottenham.
There will be four games played simultaneously on Saturday to kick off Gameweek 26 of the 2023–24 Premier League season. This weekend there is not an early kickoff; the most recent round of fixtures starts at 3 pm. Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will play one of those at Villa Park.
Considering how well Aston Villa played last season under Unai Emery, very few people would have predicted the team to finish in the top four. However, the Villans, who are currently in fourth place in the standings, have played very well this season. Despite their recent slump in performance, they were able to pass Tottenham Hotspur in the standings with their victory over Fulham.
Nottingham Forest’s season has been quite the roller coaster so far this year. A few weeks ago, the Midlands team let go of Steve Cooper and brought Nuno Espirito Santo in his place. However, the Portuguese tactician has not been able to inspire the team to the same extent that he had hoped. Even though the Tricky Trees won last weekend, it was their lone triumph in five Premier League encounters.
With goals from Ola Aina and Orel Mangala in the rematch, Nottingham Forest surprised Aston Villa by winning 2-0. In advance of the most recent meeting between the two parties, The Hard Tackle examines the encounter in greater detail.
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Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Preview and Prediction
written by Keshav Awasty February 23, 2024 4:10 pm Reading Time: 7 mins read
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On Saturday, Aston Villa will host Nottingham Forest at Villa Park in an attempt to close the gap with Tottenham.
There will be four games played simultaneously on Saturday to kick off Gameweek 26 of the 2023–24 Premier League season. This weekend’s latest round of fixtures begins at 3 pm, so there will not be an early kickoff. Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will play one of those at Villa Park.
Considering how well Aston Villa played last season under Unai Emery, very few people would have predicted the team to finish in the top four. However, as they sit in fourth place in the standings, the Villans have performed admirably this season. Despite their recent slump in performance, they were able to pass Tottenham Hotspur in the standings with their victory over Fulham.
Nottingham Forest’s season has been quite the roller coaster so far this year. A few weeks ago, the Midlands team let go of Steve Cooper and brought Nuno Espirito Santo in his place. However, the Portuguese tactician has not been able to inspire the team to the same extent that he had hoped. Even though the Tricky Trees won last weekend, it was their lone triumph in five Premier League encounters.
Ola Aina and Orel Mangala scored goals as Nottingham Forest unexpectedly defeated Aston Villa 2-0 in the rematch. In advance of the most recent meeting between the two parties, The Hard Tackle examines the encounter in greater detail.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery is finding it difficult to get his team ready for their next game due to a new fitness concern. The six first-team players for Aston Villa will not be available for Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest.
The most recent absence is Boubacar Kamara, a Frenchman who sustained a season-ending knee injury last weekend. Alongside Jhon Duran (muscular), Emiliano Buendia (knee), Ezri Konsa (knee), Diego Carlos (hamstring), and Tyrone Mings (knee) on the sidelines is Kamara.
When Aston Villa lines up in front of Emiliano Martinez in a 4-4-1-1 formation against Nottingham Forest, Martinez will start in goal as usual. Alex Moreno, Matty Cash, Pau Torres, and Clement Lenglet should be on the injured backline.
In Kamara’s absence, John McGinn will probably assume a central role for the midfield unit, partnering with Douglas Luiz in the middle of the park. While Leon Bailey applies pressure from the right flank, Jacob Ramsey and Youri Tielemans will have unrestricted roles. Lastly, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins will start at the front against Nottingham Forest.
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo, in contrast to his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, has welcomed good team news ahead of the trip to Villa Park. On Saturday, the manager of Nottingham Forest will be without two players from the first team.
The only players not present are Chris Wood and Gonzalo Montiel, who are both recuperating from hamstring injuries. However, Willy Boly, Ibrahim Sangare, and Ola Aina ought to make a comeback following their recuperation from their misadventures at the Africa Cup of Nations.
When Nottingham Forest plays Aston Villa, they will adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Mats Sels starting in goal. Neco Williams, Felipe, Nuno Tavares, and Murillo should make up the backline.
Regarding the midfield group, Danilo and Nicolas Dominguez are the two players to watch in the double pivot. Resuming his position at number ten, Morgan Gibbs-White will try to impact the game in the last three minutes. Taiwo Awoniyi will lead the attack, with Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi serving as the two wide attackers.
Nottingham Forest will try to accomplish a league double over Aston Villa for the first time since the 1984–1985 campaign after the 2-0 victory at the City Ground in November.
Aston Villa has dropped their last two games at Villa Park after going 17 games without a loss at home in the Premier League (W16 D1). Under Dean Smith, their last Premier League loss streak was three games in a row in November 2020.
Under Nuno Espirito Santo, Nottingham Forest has scored goals in all eight of their Premier League encounters, totaling 15 goals. That is only two fewer goals than they have scored in 17 league games this season playing for Steve Cooper.
In their six encounters, Unai Emery has only triumphed once over Nuno Espirito Santo (D3 L2). In their three Premier League encounters with the Portuguese manager, he is winless (D2 L1).
This season, Ollie Watkins has contributed to 23 Premier League goals, netting 13 and setting up ten. The only player to have scored more goals for Aston Villa in a single Premier League season is Dwight Yorke in 1995–96 (27).
Ollie Watkins, with his current stellar form, will inevitably be in the spotlight. However, we have selected Callum Hudson-Odoi for this section because his performance will be essential to beating Aston Villa this coming weekend.
After joining Nottingham Forest, the 23-year-old has really blossomed, despite taking some time to get going. However, he has become an essential member of the Tricky Trees after scoring three goals in as many games. Anticipate that he will carry on his current run and assist Nottingham Forest in traveling to Aston Villa.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Under Nuno Espirito Santo’s guidance, Nottingham Forest may not have lit up the stage in most of the games. However, in the eight Premier League games played under the Portuguese tactician, Tricky Trees have a stellar scoring record, finding the back of the net in each game.
This weekend should see that run continue, especially with Aston Villa’s defense appearing weak. However, Unai Emery’s team is unlikely to be able to overcome the opposition, and they should win on Saturday after a fierce battle. The Hard Tackle projects that Ollie Watkins will score a game-winning brace to lead the Villans to a 2-1 victory.