Premier League: East Meets West in a Tasty Midlands Clash

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa fans are set to take the 50-mile journey across the Midlands on Sunday for a lunchtime rumble with their neighbours from Nottingham.

The hosts are fifth from bottom of the Premier League table and their visitors are fifth from the top, so there is a fair bit of distance between the two teams when Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa kicks off at 2pm local time.

Unai Emery has done a brilliant job since his arrival at Aston Villa. He’s a proven winner, a calm thinker, and a master tactician, and he will know the strengths and weaknesses of the next opponents.

And his team has plundered 10 points from the last four league games, scoring 14 goals in the process, and they have climbed to within four points of league leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

Steve Cooper led Forest to the Premier League for the first time this century, and he did a superb job to keep them up last year after the owners prompted a full overhaul of his squad, so he has some credit in the bank.

But Nottingham Forest come into the game on the back of a 3-0 bashing away to Liverpool, while Villa beat struggling Luton 3-1, and the pre-match Premier League 2023 betting odds back the Villains to continue their relentless charge going.

Talking Points

Forest winless in six

Premier League: Chris Wood scored both goals in Nottingham Forest's 2-2 draw with Luton Town — Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood applauds fans after their match with Luton Town

No one would suggest a visit to Anfield is anything other than a daunting task, almost impossible when the Reds are at full tilt. But Forest were blown away by Jurgen Klopp’s side, as they were 2-0 down by the break and they conceded 72-per cent possession and eight shots to one on target.

By any standards, it was a mauling.

Forest’s last home game was more worrying for their fans as they failed to beat Luton Town going into the final 10 minutes with a two-goal lead after Chris Wood had scored a brace.

That was a great chance to end their poor run of Premier League 2023 results. But now their winless run has reached to six straight matches, and Cooper is coming under a little pressure from the less patient members of Forest’s fan base.

Some supporters are critical of their team’s style of play, conceding possession and playing with a big striker in Wood, but they should be careful what they wish for.

One of Wood’s previous teams, Burnley, are playing nice football which is easy on the eye. But the Clarets have six points fewer and are stranded in the bottom three. This is a tough league and Cooper is prepared to adapt.

The return of striker Taiwo Awoniyi has given the Forest boss more options, and the latest news from Nottingham suggests that Danilo and Callum Hudson-Odoi are nearing a return.

Emery has found the right formation

While Cooper is looking for a turnaround, not a 180 degrees shift but a way of nudging draws into wins, his opposite number is steering a course, and Emery’s aim is to keep his foot on the throttle.

He has one of the most in-form strikers in European football in his ranks in Ollie Watkins, who has scored five goals and made fives assists. And he is backed up by Moussa Diaby, who has three goals and three assists, and the livewire attacking midfielder Douglas Luiz.

At the other end of the pitch, Emery has a superb centre-back three in Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, and Ezra Konsa, with Lucas Digne and Matty Cash playing as attacking wing-backs.

And with World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez guarding their goal, this is a team oozing with quality. French international Boubacar Kamara sits in defencive midfield, while skipper John McGinn and Douglas Luiz support the strikers.

Emery has plenty of talent on the bench too with the likes of Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia ready to take their chance, and Villa look every bit a top six side.

PREMIER LEAGUE

Brentford

West Ham United

CLICK HERE

TO SEE UPDATED ODDS

History

The head-to-heads have gone the way of the Villains in the Premier League era with seven wins to two, and there have been eight draws.

Last season, Villa won their home game 2-0, while the teams played out a 1-1 draw at the City Ground.

Villa’s recent form, with five wins and a draw from the last six games, has been superb. And while Forest aren’t easy to beat with two defeats and four draws, they are looking for a rare victory.