Both Forest and Villa strengthened their hopes of European glory with good results on Thursday night. Forest dug out a 1-1 away draw in Porto thanks to a bizarre own goal while Ollie Watkins struck twice as Villa secured a 3-1 win away to Bologna.
It means there’s a strong chance that these two could now meet in the Europa League semi-finals, ensuring one of them has a shot at emulating last season’s winners Spurs.
But both must immediately shift focus to the Premier League. Fourth-placed Aston Villa need to make sure they hold onto a Champions League place while fifth-bottom Forest are fighting a relegation battle.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa kick-off time
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa kicks off at 2pm BST on Sunday, April 12 at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa how to watch
The game will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League. Coverage begins at 1pm.
Nottingham Forest team news
Elliot Anderson was suspended for Thursday’s trip to Porto but is available again here.
That game also saw striker Chris Wood finally make his return after six months out and he’ll likely be on the bench with Igor Jesus starting up front.
Aston Villa team news
Ollie Watkins will hope his double in Bologna secures a starting berth ahead of Tammy Abraham.
Boubacar Kamara and Jadon Sancho are still out due to injury.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa odds
Betting is tight for Sunday’s match, with some firms making both sides 13/8 for the win. The Draw is 9/4.
Aston Villa are just 1/8 to finish in the top five while the market says Forest will survive the drop. They were pushed out to 6/1 for relegation after winning 3-0 at Spurs in their last league match.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa prediction
Forest are unbeaten in the last three against Villa at the City Ground but Unai Emery’s visitors have had a much better season domestically.
In truth, it’s hard to put too much confidence in either side. Forest are winless in their last seven home league games while Villa have lost their last two top-flight matches on the road.
Add in the fact that both teams have had a near identical schedule with short hops to Europe on Thursday night and The Draw appeals most at 9/4.
For a correct scoreline, try 1-1 which pays 6/1.
Morgan Gibbs-White scored at Villa Park earlier in the campaign and he’s netted five times in Forest’s last 13 games in all competitions.
He looks the best goalscorer bet and is worth a play at 3/1.
