Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest prediction, H2H and probable lineups — April 5, 2025
Leo Peterson
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
On April 5, 2025, Villa Park in Birmingham will host the 31st round match of the English Premier League between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. I suggest betting on a handicap for one of the teams.
Aston Villa
The Birmingham side is having an excellent season, especially in cup competitions. Unai Emery's team has reached the Champions League quarter-finals, overcoming Belgian Club Brugge in the last 16. Now Aston Villa will face French giants PSG, who knocked out none other than Liverpool in the previous round.
Moreover, the "Lions" have also advanced to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they will face Crystal Palace at Wembley at the end of April, fighting for a place in the final.
However, due to their success in other tournaments, the team has struggled to maintain consistent results in the Premier League. The battle for European spots is in full swing. In the last round, the Birmingham team confidently defeated Brighton away with a score of 3-0. This victory allowed them to overtake the "Seagulls" in the table and close the gap to the top five to just two points.
For Villa, there are no easy matches left this season. The clash with Nottingham comes just before their first leg in Paris. Whether Unai Emery's coaching skills and strategic rotation can handle this crucial part of the season remains an open question.
Nottingham
Like Aston Villa, Nottingham will also head to Wembley at the end of the month, aiming for an FA Cup final spot. However, while Villa faces Crystal Palace, the "Foresters" will have to put in a significant effort to get past Manchester City in the semi-finals — a team for whom the FA Cup remains their only hope for a trophy this season.
Nottingham has climbed to third place in the Premier League and seems determined to stay there. In the last round, the "Foresters" even without their top scorer Chris Wood, defeated Manchester United at home. Notably, the winning goal was scored by Anthony Elanga, a Manchester United academy product, whom Forest acquired from the "Red Devils" in the summer of 2023.
This victory further solidified the team's position — Nottingham's gap from second-placed Arsenal is now smaller than the gap between the "Foresters" and their nearest chasers.
For the remainder of the season, the "Foresters" have a less challenging schedule compared to other Champions League contenders. Besides the trip to Birmingham, Nottingham's other away games will be in London against Tottenham, West Ham, and Brentford.
Judging by the form of these teams, which have essentially completed their season objectives, it's safe to assume that Nottingham is close to becoming the season's biggest sensation and returning to the prestigious Champions League.
Possible lineups
- Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Disasi, Mings, Maatsen, Tielemans, Kamara, McGinn, Ramsey, Malen, Watkins
- Nottingham: Sels, Williams, Murillo, Milenkovic, Morato, Yates, Anderson, Elanga, Gibbs-White, Danilo, Awoniyi
Match facts and H2H
- Villa is on an impressive seven-match winning streak.
- Nottingham, on the other hand, is unbeaten in six consecutive matches.
- At home in the EPL, Villa has lost only once this season. The sole defeat came against Arsenal with a score of 2-0 at the start of the campaign.
- The first-round match was won by Nottingham. The "Foresters" achieved a comeback victory at home with a score of 2-1.
- In the last five head-to-head meetings at Villa's ground, Nottingham has not won a single match. Two matches ended in a draw, while the hosts emerged victorious three times.
Prediction
Unai Emery will likely resort to rotation, as the match in Paris is just as crucial as the game against the "Foresters". Considering Nottingham's form and potential personnel changes at Villa, I believe the visitors are capable of taking points in this encounter. Bet on Nottingham "not to lose" with odds of 1.8.
