The match of the 20th round of the Premier League between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will take place on 3 january at Villa Park in Birmingham. Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa had an eight-match winning run in the league before their last game of the year. But that record winning streak was ended at the Emirates, where the home side unexpectedly lost heavily to Arsenal (1:4). Interestingly, all goals in that contest were scored in the second half. As a result, the club retained third place in the table, but the gap to Arsenal is now six points. At the same time, the home side's scoring run in the Premier League has extended to nine matches.
- The club won 12 of its previous 14 Premier League games.
- Both teams scored in Aston Villa's last six league matches.
- At least three goals were scored in six of the home side's previous Premier League meetings.
Potential Aston Villa Lineup (4-5-1)*
Emiliano Martinez – Ezri Konsa, Lucas Digne, Lamar Bogarde, Victor Lindelöf – Emiliano Buendía, Amadou Onana, Jadon Sancho, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans – Ollie Watkins.
Defenders Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings and midfielder Ross Barkley are out injured, while forward Evann Guessand has joined national team duty. Note the first transfer – striker Alisson was bought from Grêmio.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest also lost in their final match of December. The visiting team hosted Everton and unexpectedly lost 0:2. That was the third consecutive league defeat, and the side scored just one goal in that run. Nottingham Forest remain 17th, and the gap to the nearest team outside the relegation zone is now four points. Note that the team has only 18 goals scored, and only Wolverhampton have a lower tally in the Premier League (11 goals).
- Nottingham Forest have failed to win 14 of their last 18 league matches (3 draws and 11 defeats).
- At least one team failed to score in 7 of Nottingham Forest's last 8 Premier League games.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 6 of the club's last 8 Premier League matches.
Potential Nottingham Forest Lineup (4-5-1)*
John Victor – Oleksandr Zinchenko, Murillo, Nikola Milenković, Neco Williams – Nicolás Domínguez, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Omari Hutchinson, Callum Hudson-Odoi – Igor Jesus.
The squad's injury list includes midfielder Ryan Yates, defender Ola Aina and forwards Dan Ndoye and Chris Wood. Defender Willy Boly and midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré have gone to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Referee
Simon Hooper (England)
Matches – 11 (the Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow Cards/Second Yellows (total) – 48;
Average Yellow Cards Per Match – 4.4;
Red Cards Shown – 2;
Fouls Per Match – 24;
Penalties – 9%.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Match Prediction
The defeat in the previous round did not change the league positions of either club — they remained in their places. At the same time, title aspirations for the home side have been put on hold for now, as they clearly failed in the direct clash with the leader. They now need to make up lost points against weaker opponents, so we expect nothing less than a victory from Aston Villa in the upcoming encounter. Moreover, the club are in excellent form and have won eight of their last nine Premier League matches.
Nottingham Forest produced a fine performance against Manchester City and could even have expected three points, but they were a little unlucky in front of goal. However, in the next match against the weaker Everton the visiting team failed badly. The squad clearly is not ready to play at a stable level in several consecutive matches. We think Nottingham Forest will lose again, as has been the case in the last three league visits to Villa Park.
Prediction: Aston Villa To Win
* For each team, the starting lineup shown is from their previous match in this competition.