Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Two teams battling for a top-four finish in the Premier League meet at the City Ground on Saturday, when Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa.

Having narrowly avoided relegation last season, the Forest have been in dreamland this term and find themselves just two points and a place behind fourth-placed Manchester City.

Sixth-placed Villa, who sit fifth in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League standings, are behind Forest on goal difference only, so this clash promises to be an intriguing one.

Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa betting tips and predictions

Nottingham Forest to win - 8/5

The work Nuno Espirito Santo has done since arriving at the City Ground in December 2023 is nothing short of fantastic, having secured the club's place in the top-flight last season and now guiding them to fifth place in the Premier League.

It has been a drastic turnaround for the Tricky Trees and they head into this fixture on the back of a superb 3-2 victory at Manchester United, the first time they have won at Old Trafford for 30 years.

Nuno has put together a balanced squad and, most importantly, he has brought about a huge defensive improvement from the team that shipped 67 goals last season.

Forest have conceded just 18 times from 15 matches, only Liverpool (11) and Arsenal (15) have better records, while just six of those strikes have come at the City Ground.

The Tricky Trees have kept clean sheets in three of their last four home assignments, against Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Ipswich Town, and that cohesive defence has given them a strong platform to build from.

Visitors Villa will be no easy pushovers, though, and they arrive looking to extend their winning streak in all competitions to four matches.

The Villans have managed to beat Brentford, Southampton and RB Leipzig, firmly putting an eight-game run without a win behind them, but they head to the City Ground just four days after beating Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League and fatigue could play a part.

Unai Emery's side have struggled on the road of late, losing at Tottenham Hotspur, Club Brugge, Liverpool and Chelsea before getting the better of Leipzig on Tuesday.

Coming up against an in-form Forest that will be desperate to keep the momentum going from the win at United, Villa could in for a European hangover in Nottinghamshire.

Under 2.5 goals - 10/11

Given Forest's frugal nature at the back this season, this could be a tight contest decided by the odd goal and backing there to be under 2.5 strikes looks like the betting route to go down.

While the Tricky Trees have been excellent at the back, conceding 18 times in total of which six have been at home, they are one of the lowest scorers in the league.

Just four teams have netted less times than Forest's tally of 19, while the 3-2 win at Old Trafford was just the fourth time this season that Nuno's side have netted two or more times in a game.

Hard-fought wins based on a strong defence have been the order of the day for Forest, who have been indebted to the fantastic form of 10-goal striker Chris Wood.

Under 2.5 goals has landed in five of Forest's seven home games in the league, a bet that has also been successful in two of Villa's last four away outings in all competitions.

The Villans have failed to score in three of their last four road assignments and they managed to net just once in the 1-0 victory over rock-bottom Southampton in their last league fixture.

The extra games for Emery's troops looks to be taking its toll on the squad and the visitors could be in for more away disappointment.

Murillo anytime goalscorer - 11/1

Forest will undoubtedly be looking towards New Zealand star Wood to find the back of the net and he appeals at 2/1 in the anytime goalscorer market, but it may be worth taking a chance on his team-mate Murillo to notch at the City Ground.

The Tricky Trees have scored six goals from set-pieces this season, only Arsenal (8) have managed more, and 6ft centre-back Murillo is an aerial threat.

He has managed a shot in each of his last nine appearances and also scored in the 3-1 home defeat to Newcastle prior to the November international break.

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Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa odds

Nottingham Forest - 8/5
Draw - 12/5
Aston Villa - 17/10

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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.