Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Prediction
🔊 On Sunday, the "City Ground" will host a clash shadowed by European competitions. In the 32nd round of the Premier League, Nottingham Forest take on Aston Villa, both representing England in the Europa League. This upcoming match holds different significance for each team but carries an equally high stakes. The hosts are fighting for survival, while the visitors are chasing a spot in the Champions League. Despite the gap between the opponents in the standings, bookmakers find it challenging to pick a favorite.
Head-to-Head
📊 In the first-round match, Aston Villa defeated their opponent in Birmingham with a 3-1 scoreline, thanks to a brace from John McGinn. However, the Lions have not managed to beat the Forest on the road in their last six consecutive Premier League matches. The City Ground is a notoriously tough venue for the Villans.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
Nottingham Forest Team Overview
Vítor Pereira's team currently sits in 16th place with 32 points. They are just three points clear of the relegation zone. The "Foresters" have failed to win any of their last seven home league matches and haven't scored in their last three games at the City Ground. However, in their previous outing, they secured a commanding 3-0 away victory against direct rivals Tottenham.
On Thursday, Nottingham Forest endured a grueling match in Porto, drawing 1-1 in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final. Pereira's side managed just six shots throughout the game, creating only one genuine chance. Yet, their goal came from a gift by the "Dragons," rather than from that opportunity. Most notably, their opponents crafted five significant chances and were miraculously denied a second goal.
Match Results: Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa Team Overview
Aston Villa sit in 4th place with 54 points after 31 matches. The "Lions" have the weakest attack among the top five in the league, scoring 42 goals, but they lead the Premier League with 14 goals from outside the box. They often overperform, yet that's part of Unai Emery's style. In the Premier League, their form has been inconsistent: just one win in their last five games, a 2-0 victory over West Ham.
On Thursday, the team also played in the Europa League quarter-finals and took a significant step towards the semi-finals by defeating Bologna 3-1. Despite the opponent threatening their goal more than twice as often, it was the "Lions" who were more clinical in the final third, creating four dangerous chances compared to the "Red and Blues'" one.
Match Results: Aston Villa
Latest news
Nottingham Forest
🎙 Vitor Pereira after the match against Porto: "I believe this is a positive result. Competing in two tournaments simultaneously is challenging. The players performed well today. At home, we will try to secure qualification in our favor."
❌ The hosts are dealing with an extensive injury list. Nicolo Savona and John Victor are out for the rest of the season, while Willy Boly won't return until late May. Omari Hutchinson and Ola Aina are doubtful as they are experiencing discomfort. Jair Cunha is nearing a comeback, but his appearance on the field this Sunday seems unlikely. The good news: Chris Wood, who hadn't played since October, is back in action and even started in the match against Porto.
Aston Villa
🎙 Unai Emery after the victory in Italy: "I'm pleased; we've found balance in everything. It's a great result for the first leg. However, there's still a second leg to play. In the first half, we were a bit reserved, didn't pass much, and lost possession easily. But to be fair, there weren't many chances created against us either."
❌ The visitors are in a much better position squad-wise. The only significant loss is Boubacar Kamara, who is out until early June due to a serious knee injury. Jadon Sancho is also doubtful because of a shoulder injury sustained in a friendly match and is unlikely to feature.
🟨 Yellow Card Prediction
The referee for the upcoming match is Michael Salisbury. This season in the Premier League, he has officiated 9 matches, issuing 41 yellow cards-averaging 4.6 per game. This is one of the highest rates in the league. Nottingham Forest average 1.27 cautions per home match, while Aston Villa average 1.47 on the road. Both teams are in need of points, but they aren't known for their rough play, so we're betting on under 4.5 yellow cards, despite the referee's statistics.
⚽ Goal Prediction
Nottingham Forest have failed to score at home in 5 of their last 6 Premier League matches, while Aston Villa have scored fewer than 1.5 goals in 7 of their last 8 league games. Both teams show a trend towards low-scoring games, and they also have crucial Europa League return legs ahead. This suggests a bet on under 3.5 goals, which has hit in 6 of the last 7 head-to-head encounters at the City Ground in the Premier League.
🚩 Corner Prediction
There could be plenty of corners, according to current trends. The over 8.5 corners bet has come through in Nottingham Forest's last 7 consecutive home matches and in 9 of Aston Villa's last 10 Premier League games. Season averages for both teams are also respectable: Forest deliver 6.33 corners per home game, while Villa manage 4.93 on their travels.
Editorial Prediction
The visitors come into this match riding a wave of three consecutive victories, including a convincing away win over Bologna (3-1). The "Foresters" are also in decent form, but they haven't secured a victory in their last seven home league games, managing to score just two goals in that span. These stats make it hard to see Vitor Pereira's side as favorites for the upcoming clash. Villa appear to be better prepared for this encounter, and their attack looks significantly sharper at the moment. The editorial's main pick is Aston Villa will not lose, with a predicted scoreline of 2-1.
Betting Tips: Nottingham Forest - Aston Villa
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Comparison of Teams Stats
Other predictions
