TWO teams with very different Premier League priorities face off on Saturday afternoon as Aston Villa entertain Nottingham Forest.
When Unai Emery was appointed Aston Villa boss back in October the club were hovering above the relegation zone, however they now find themselves in a race for Europe.
The Villans remarkable revival continued in midweek as they earned a 2-1 win at Leicester City, on a night where both of my King Power picks copped.
That triumph came after a 2-0 win at Chelsea so seventh-placed Villa will return home in sky-high spirits ahead of their weekend fixture with Nottingham Forest.
The Tricky Trees' relegation fears heightened last time out as they crashed to a damaging 2-1 defeat at fellow relegation rivals Leeds United.
Consequently, Steve Cooper's side now sit one place above the relegation zone on goal difference and they face an almighty test here against one of the league's form teams.
Outright Betting
Aston Villa are short priced 4/7 (Bet 365) favourites to record what would be their fourth Premier League win in succession.
Nottingham Forest have fallen to defeat in 10 of their 14 top-flight road trips this term and the bookies' odds suggest those away day blues could be set to continue, with the visitors 9/2 (Bet 365) underdogs while the draw is an unfancied 3/1 (PaddyPower).
Betting Angles
Aston Villa are too short to side with at the above-mentioned price but we can get some 4/5 (Bet 365) on the hosts scoring two or more goals and that looks like a worthy boost in price.
As already alluded to, Aston Villa have hit a rich vein of form of late having picked up 16 points from the last 18 on offer, with a 1-1 draw at West Ham they only minor blot on their copybook across that six-game sample.
It's also worth pointing out that Villa have scored in each of their 16 Premier League matches under Unai Emery's watch, netting multiple strikes in five of their last nine league games.
That doesn't augur well for an out-of-sorts Nottingham Forest side who are winless in eight league matches, with Steve Cooper's crop conceding at least once in each of those contests.
What's more, the travel-sick Tricky Trees have shipped two or more goals in six of their last eight top-flight assignments, so they could struggle to tame an Aston Villa forward line that have been purring of late.
With all that in mind, backing in-form Villa to strike twice on Saturday stands out at 4/5 with BetVictor.
After successfully backing Ollie Watkins to score against Leicester last time out, I'm more than happy to side with the Aston Villa striker to get in on the act again here at 13/10 (Bet 365).
Watkin's is among the Premier League's goalscoring elite in 2023 having netted in eight of his last 10 top-flight appearances and he looks a lovely price to continue his hot-streak in front of goal against relegation-threatened Forest.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will be played on Apr 8, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
