Nottingham Forest's charge towards Champions League football shows no sign of slowing but they face a major test of mettle on the road against an Aston Villa side who are hunting a second successive top-four finish.
Villa were the Premier League surprise package last term as they finished fourth and earned a seat at Europe's top table, where they have dined out on some memorable victories.
Unai Emery's side have a quarter-final with PSG looming, but first, they have to see off a Forest side who have been the story of the Premier League season.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side started the campaign as fourth favourites for the drop in the relegation betting but find themselves sitting third in the table.
They're now fancied for a top-four finish and it's shaping up to be a sensational season with Forest also in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
But Villa are a tough team to beat at home and if Emery's side come out on top they will sit just six points behind Santo's shock troops in the Premier League table.
Both teams head into this game after midweek wins so it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top.
How the bookies view it: Forest to hit a hurdle on home straight
Although Nottingham Forest are in tremendous form, the bookies don't fancy their chances in this one. BoyleSports make Santo's side 13/5 outsiders, with Villa 20/21 favourites and the draw paying 5/2.
Recent head to head: Villa just edging it
There has been much between these teams in recent seasons, with the last 11 meetings producing five Aston Villa wins, three Forest victories and three draws. Santo's side edged a 2-1 win at the City Ground earlier this season, with Anthony Elanga scoring a last-minute winner.
Players to watch: Rashford on a roll
Marcus Rashford has revived his career since joining Villa on loan and heads into this game on a high after scoring in back-to-back games. He's 2/1 at BoyleSports to keep his scoring run going while an assist pays 9/2 at William Hill.
Forest winger Elanga brought up one of Tuesday's Super Singles with his solo goal against Manchester United and that made it 28 goal involvements since the start of last season. So the Swede looks a bit overpriced at 5/2 with Paddy Power to either score or assist in this one.
Probable line-ups
Villa's injury list has cleared up at the best possible time as they face a demanding run of fixtures. Only winger Leon Bailey and midfielder Ross Barkley look set to sit this one out.
Forest suffered a blow in their win over Manchester United as full-back Ola Aina limped off. Top scorer Chris Wood also missed that game due to injury and is a doubt again.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Digne, Torres, McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers, Rashford, Kamara, Watkins.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Murillo, Williams, Milenkovi, Moreno, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Elanga, Yates, Sangare, Awoniyi.
Anything else catch the eye?
Aston Villa have kept clean sheets in their last four games but Nottingham Forest's speedy forwards could get a bit of joy against the high line that Emery favours.
BTTS and over 2.5 goals came up in the last meeting so that bet appeals again here at evens with BoyleSports.
Forest will likely sit back and let Villa dominate possession so that could see the corner count rack up for Emery's side. Manchester United won 10 of them against Forest in midweek so I like over 6.5 Villa flag kicks at evens with BoyleSports.
The midfield battle should be tasty and I like the 23/20 on offer at Unibet for Villa skipper John McGinn to commit over 1.5 fouls.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will be played on and kick off at 17:30. 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.
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