Nottingham Forest, eager to break their six-game winless streak, will host an in-form Aston Villa side aiming for their fourth consecutive victory at the City Ground this Sunday.
The Tricky Trees recently suffered a 3-0 defeat against Liverpool in their last Premier League match.
Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa secured an impressive 3-1 win against Luton Town, extending their winning streak at home.
Match Preview
During Liverpool’s clash with Nottingham Forest last weekend, football took a back seat as tragic news broke about the kidnapping of Reds’ attacker Luis Diaz’s parents in Colombia.
Diogo Jota and the entire Anfield showed support for Diaz as Jota opened the scoring. Forest’s struggles continued as they conceded goals to Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.
With no midweek EFL Cup commitments, Nottingham Forest has had time to address their winless streak. They have drawn four matches and lost two since their surprising win against Chelsea in September.
Despite their recent struggles, Nottingham Forest has an impressive seven-game unbeaten run at the City Ground.
However, their last three matches ended in draws. Only Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have kept Forest from scoring at home in the Premier League since their promotion.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, is enjoying a remarkable home winning streak, with 12 consecutive Premier League wins at Villa Park. They continued their strong form with a win against Luton Town.
Aston Villa currently has 22 points from their first 10 fixtures, their best start since the 1998-99 season.
They have scored 11 goals in their last three matches, but their away form has been less consistent, with only two wins in their last nine away games.
Last season, they drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, but Forest has not defeated them in the top flight since 1994.
Nottingham Forest Premier League Form: DLDDDL
Aston Villa Premier League Form: WWWDWW
Aston Villa Form (All Competitions): WWDWWW
Team News
Nottingham Forest received a couple of cautions in their match against Liverpool, with Orel Mangala and Ibrahim Sangare cautioned for the fourth time this season. They are at risk of suspension if they are booked again.
Callum Hudson-Odoi (thigh), Felipe (knee), Divock Origi (hip), Chris Wood (thigh), and Gonzalo Montiel (calf) are unavailable due to injuries.
Danilo (thigh) is slowly returning to full fitness. Taiwo Awoniyi might return to the starting lineup.
Aston Villa is likely to field an unchanged lineup.
Nicolo Zaniolo, despite ongoing investigations related to alleged illegal gambling, is available to play.
Long-term injury victims Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia are still unavailable, as are Jhon Duran (toe) and Jacob Ramsey (ankle).
Alex Moreno has a slim chance of returning from a thigh injury.
Possible Starting Lineups
Nottingham Forest:
- Turner;
- Aurier, Murillo, Niakhate, Aina;
- Sangare, Mangala, Dominguez;
- Gibbs-White, Awoniyi, Elanga
Aston Villa:
- Martinez;
- Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne;
- McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Bailey;
- Diaby, Watkins
Prediction
Forest’s strong home form and the return of Awoniyi might threaten Villa’s clean sheet, but Aston Villa’s attacking prowess should secure their eighth win of the season.
- Our prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Aston Villa