Nottingham Forest will face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, with both teams aiming to firmly establish themselves in the race for European football. After Forest’s recent win over Manchester United, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are currently in 5th place in the standings, just ahead of Villa, who also have 25 points from 15 matches.
The two teams are level on points, having both won seven games, drawn four, and lost four so far this season. This match is expected to be closely contested, with both sides in similar form. Chris Sutton predicted a draw, while Paul Merson also forecasted a 1-1 draw, citing the even nature of the encounter.
Unai Emery says a late decision will be made on Ollie Watkins’ availability for #AVFC’s game against Nottingham Forest.
He will train this afternoon, with how he comes through the session determining if he will feature. Story @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/6uG8SkKUYK
— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) December 13, 2024
For Forest, any potential advantage could come from Aston Villa’s injury concerns. Leon Bailey, who had a strong showing against Forest last season, is doubtful due to a minor injury. Unai Emery noted that Bailey will miss Villa’s upcoming Champions League match and his availability for the Forest game is uncertain. Additionally, Ollie Watkins, another key player from their last encounter, is also a fitness doubt after being substituted at halftime in the Champions League. The potential absence of these two key attackers could provide a significant boost for Forest, who will need to capitalize on these fitness concerns if they are to secure a positive result and stay in the hunt for European football spots.