Nottingham Forest have been the surprise package of the Premier League season and will be looking to claim another significant scalp when in-form Aston Villa come calling.
It looked like Nuno Espirito Santo's side might fall away after a dip that saw them lose three times in a four-game run that also included a narrow home win over struggling Ipswich Town.
But Forest roared back to life with a brilliant 3-2 victory at Old Trafford last weekend in a game that saw two bets land for me. That fired them up to fifth place and left Santo's side sitting just two points behind champions Manchester City in the final Champions League slot.
Maintaining that position will be a tall order though and Nottingham Forest now face a dangerous Aston Villa side who are only below them on goal difference.
Villa went through an even bigger slump than Forest when they went eight games without a win in all competitions. But they've also hit back in style with three successive wins, the latest a thrilling 3-2 triumph over RB Leipzig that saw more bets come up for Slips Tips.
Confidence is flowing through Unai Emery's side again and they'll head into this Midlands derby looking to jump above their hosts with another win.
How the bookies view it: Forest just have the edge
This is a tough one for Villa coming off the back of a Champions League away day and BoyleSports price them at 13/8. Nottingham Forest are slight favourites at 8/5 and the draw pays 23/10.
Recent head to head: Villa bossing it
Aston Villa have held the upper hand in this fixture of late, losing just once in the last eight meetings. But that defeat did come on their visit to the City Ground last season, when Nottingham Forest claimed a 2-0 victory. Armchair fans will be hoping for a repeat of the 5-5 thriller these sides battled out at Villa Park back in 2018.
Players to watch: Morgan's spice
Morgan Gibbs-White was superb for Nottingham Forest in their Old Trafford victory and capped a fine display with a goal. He's 10/3 for another goal here at BoyleSports but I'm more drawn to the 8/5 on offer at Bet365 for the midfielder to score or assist.
Emery faces a dilemma over who to start up front after Jhon Duran scored another brilliant goal off the bench after replacing Ollie Watkins in Leipzig. So it's probably better backing a Villa midfielder to do some damage and captain John McGinn is 11/2 at BoyleSports for anytime scorer. The Scot is also a decent 11/5 with Bet365 to either score or assist.
Probable line-ups
Jacob Ramsey remains out for Villa while Leon Bailey is a doubt after sitting out the win over Leipzig. Emery will probably make a few changes to freshen up his team after such a draining game.
Forest should be along similar lines to the team that won at Old Trafford, with only midfield duo Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare still sidelined.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Murillo, Williams, Milenkovic, Aina, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, J Silva, Yates, Wood.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Carlos, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers, Philogene, Kamara, Duran.
Anything else catch the eye?
Aston Villa have suffered a hangover after Champions League games this season, winning just once. Even in that 3-1 win over Wolves it was the Molineux men who scored first so there could be some value in backing Forest to net the opener here at 22/25 with Kwiff. The odds are better on Santo's side winning the first half at 11/5 with BoyleSports.
Emery's side dominated the corner count in this fixture last season, winning 10-0 at the City Ground then 7-2 back on home soil. Those stats suggest backing Villa at -0.5 in the corner handicap could pay off here at 23/20 with BoyleSports.
Only five cards were flashed in total across the two games last term so I like the 6/4 on offer at Bet365 for betting against both teams collecting two or more cards.
This English Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will be played on Dec 14, 2024 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
