Aston Villa host Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday, September 12 (10:00 AM ET / 9:00 AM CT / 7:00 AM PT).
Aston Villa will be missing knee injury absentee Amadou Onana and suspended midfielder Joao Gomes, with doubtful pair Leon Goretzka and Johan Manzambi also touch-and-go and sidelined forward Brian Madjo out through an ankle/foot injury. Ross Barkley has carried Villa’s creative burden so far, with 6 shots and 6 chances created in 242 minutes, and Emiliano Buendía and John McGinn add further attacking threat in midfield. Nottingham Forest’s only injury concern is sidelined defender Nicolo Savona, out with a knee problem, leaving Morgan Gibbs-White, who has scored and assisted already this season, and James McAtee, who leads Forest’s players with 9 chances created, to carry the visitors’ attack at Villa Park.
Both sides arrive low on confidence but even lower on goals, and Villa Park feels set up for another cagey afternoon rather than an end-to-end shootout. Villa have the platform of home advantage and Barkley’s craft to fall back on, while Forest’s best moments have come from flashes of individual quality rather than sustained pressure. Expect goals to be a rare commodity, with whoever finds the net first likely to finish closest to taking all three points.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Best Bets & Predictions
Two winless sides meet at Villa Park, with Aston Villa's leaky defence and Nottingham Forest's misfiring attack pointing to a tight, low-scoring afternoon.
Our approach: we let the early-season underlying numbers — shots, chances created, goal difference — do the talking rather than the reputations, and here they point to a scrappy, low-scoring win for the hosts.
Odds correct at time of writing and shown in American format for illustration; your local odds may vary. 19+ (18+ in AB/MB/QC). Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 (ON).
Season Form & Standings
Aston Villa have taken just 1 point from their opening 3 matches, with 2 losses and a goal difference of -5. Nottingham Forest have fared marginally better with 2 points from 3, unbeaten in 2 of those games but still without a win, sitting on a goal difference of -1.
Premier League
| Team | Pos | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 2 |
| Aston Villa | 17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 1 |
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineups
Predicted XI — updated for the latest team news.
Aston Villa
4-2-3Nottingham Forest
3-4-2Potential Match-Winners
- Ross Barkley (Aston Villa): Barkley leads Villa’s underlying output with 6 shots and 6 chances created from 242 minutes, making him the most likely source of a breakthrough.
- Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa): Buendía has fired 6 shots of his own but just 2 chances created, a sign Villa’s final ball still needs sharpening.
- Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest): Gibbs-White has 1 goal and 1 assist from 7 shots, 2 of them on target, in 270 minutes, comfortably Forest’s biggest attacking threat.
Recent Form
Aston Villa: D W L L D
- 2026-09-05: Hull City 0-0 Aston Villa (D, away)
- 2026-08-31: Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal (L, home)
- 2026-08-23: Brighton 4-0 Aston Villa (L, away)
- 2026-05-15: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool (W, home)
- 2026-05-10: Burnley 2-2 Aston Villa (D, away)
Villa’s 3 league games this season have brought a 4-0 defeat at Brighton, a 0-1 home loss to Arsenal and a 0-0 draw at Hull City, leaving them with just 1 point so far.
Nottingham Forest: D L L D D
- 2026-09-05: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Tottenham (D, home)
- 2026-08-29: Liverpool 2-2 Nottingham Forest (D, away)
- 2026-08-22: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Leeds (L, home)
- 2026-05-17: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest (L, away)
- 2026-05-10: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle (D, home)
Forest have gone 0-1 at home to Leeds, drawn 2-2 at Liverpool and 0-0 with Tottenham at the City Ground, collecting 2 points from 3 games.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Prediction
Aston Villa have 1 point from their opening 3 games and Nottingham Forest have 2, and neither side looks ready to open the floodgates at Villa Park. Expect a tetchy, low-scoring afternoon decided by fine margins, with Ross Barkley’s craft in the final third edging it for the hosts. We’re calling it 1-0 to Aston Villa.