Aston Villa were 12 places above Nottingham Forest in last season's Premier League standings, but the Midlands pair will start Saturday's top-flight clash at Villa Park next to each other in the table in 16th and 17th place.
Villa bagged their first Premier League point of the season in a goalless draw against Hull City last week but should set out in a more confident mood after opening their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 3-2 away win against Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Forest opened their season with back-to-back defeats to Leeds United in the league and EFL Cup and have drawn with Liverpool and Tottenham in their two most recent outings.
Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest Tips Summary
Best Bet - Aston Villa to win @ 6/5
Alternative Bet - Nicolas Jackson anytime goalscorer @ 2/1
Bet Builder - Both teams to score, Both teams to receive 2+ cards, Morgan Gibbs-White 2+ shots @ 5/1
Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest Prediction
Best Bet: Aston Villa to win @ 6/5
Villa fans are hoping their team does not follow in the footsteps of Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League two seasons ago but fell to 16th last year after qualifying for Europe.
The Villans were fourth last season and qualified for the UEFA Champions League, but they don't have a win or even a goal yet in three top-flight outings against Brighton, Arsenal and Hull.
The general trend of their performances has been upward since the opening-day 4-0 debacle at Brighton and there should be a spring in the step of Unai Emery's side after they scored three first-half goals in their midweek success in Belgium.
With four days to rest and prepare after that short trip, European exertions should not be taking a toll yet and Villa showed their potential as John McGinn, Emi Buendia and Nicolas Jackson all got on the scoresheet.
They can also take heart from an excellent home head-to-head record against Forest, having recorded five successive victories over them at Villa Park since a wild 5-5 draw in the Championship in November 2018.
Forest went close to picking up their first win in last week's goalless draw with Tottenham but there has not been much spark about their play this season and it may take new manager Oliver Glasner some time to get his team operating the way he wants.
Alternative Bet: Nicolas Jackson anytime goalscorer @ 2/1
Nicolas Jackson signed for Villa last month after spending last season with Bayern Munich on loan from Chelsea.
Jackson scored eight goals in 23 league appearances to help Bayern to the Bundesliga title, and also struck three times in the UEFA Champions League.
He steered home Villa's third goal against Club Brugge to open his account for his new team and looks well worth backing to add his first league goal for the club against Forest.
Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest Bet Builder Tip
- Both teams to score
- Both teams to receive 2+ cards
- Morgan Gibbs-White 2+ shots
Pays 5/1
Start a three-leg Bet Builder on Saturday's Premier League match at Villa Park by taking both teams to score.
Goals have been a struggle for both teams this season, but that gives them the incentive to push forward in this one, with Villa having won 12 of their 19 home league games last season.
Forest's only goals this season came in their first away match, a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield.
The winless start made by both teams in the league could also lead to a certain amount of chippiness and each side to receive at least two cards appeals.
Villa have been shown at least two cards in four of their five matches in all competitions this season, while Forest have a 100 per cent record of getting multiple bookings.
Morgan Gibbs-White should be at the forefront of Forest's quest for a goal and he can be backed to have at least two shots in the game having fired off seven goal attempts in their first three league games.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
- Aston Villa won 12 of their 19 home league games last season
- Villa have recorded five successive home wins against Nottingham Forest
- Both teams have scored in five of Aston Villa's last seven Premier League home games
- Six of Forest's last eight league away games have produced four or more goals
- Forest have not won any of their last 11 games at Villa Park, losing eight of them
- The Tricky Trees picked up seven of their 11 league wins on the road last season
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
