Football
EPL: Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Preview: Tips, Odds, and Prediction
Nottingham Forest plays Aston Villa in an action-packed English Premier League match. This thrilling game takes place at The City Ground in Nottingham on Saturday, 14 December, 2024. In this detailed match preview, we will take you through a large selection of Premier League betting markets for this game, player form, team form, history, key stats, and more! Be sure to read our in-depth preview for everything you need to know about Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa.
John McGinn and Morgan Gibbs-White//Getty Images
There is absolutely nothing to separate these two teams as of the 10th of December 2024. Nottingham Forest currently sit in fifth position on the English Premier League table with 25 points from 15 matches played which includes seven wins, four draws and four defeats. Meanwhile, Aston Villa find themselves in sixth place on the table and they also have 25 points from 15 matches played with an identical record of seven wins, four draws and four losses.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS ASTON VILLA MATCH DETAILS
Date: Saturday, 14 December, 2024
Kickoff Time: 19:30 local time (14:30 ET / 11:30 PT)
Location: The City Ground, Nottingham
Last meeting: Aston Villa 4-2 Nottingham Forest (Feb 24, 2024, Premier League)
Nottingham Forest went 42 matches unbeaten. This incredible run of results was from the 26th of November 1977 until the the 25th of November 1978. What a great achievement!
Aston Villa have a slight edge over Nottingham Forest in the head-to-head record. The visitors have won three out of their last five matches against Forest. The most recent match between these two teams ended in an exciting 4-2 victory for Aston Villa. This match took place at Villa Park in Birmingham on the 24th of February 2024.
Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey both scored for Aston Villa in this match and Douglas Luiz also scored a double for his team. Moussa Niakhate and Morgan Gibbs-White got on the scoresheet for Nottingham Forest in this match.
PRE-GAME ODDS AND WIN PROBABILITY: CLOSE CONTEST EXPECTED
Home: 33/20 (2.65) - 37,7%
Draw: 49/20 (3.45) - 29%
Away: 33/20 (2.65) - 37,7%
*Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Last Four Meetings (Premier League)
24/02/24: Aston Villa 4-2 Nottingham Forest
05/11/23: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Aston Villa
08/04/23: Aston Villa 2-0 Nottingham Forest
10/10/22: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
NOTTINGHAM FOREST: CURRENT FORM - WLWLL
Nottingham Forest head into this match against Aston Villa with confidence after a 3-2 victory against Manchester United on the 7th of December. Forest needed this win because before this match they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City. Prior to the game against City, they scored a 1-0 victory against Ipswich Town.
Forest will be happy to be playing in front of their home fans again after playing away from home in their last two matches. They last played at The City Ground on the 30th of November 2024 and on that occasion they beat Ipswich Town 1-0. After this match against Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest are on the road again when they play Brentford on the 21st of December, and they will be looking to bank all three points in this match before they travel for their next game.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Callum Hudson-Odoi: The Nottingham Forest forward has scored two goals throughout the 2024-2025 English Premier League, and he will be looking to guide his team to victory against Aston Villa. Callum Hudson-Odoi has played over 110 Premier League matches throughout his career, and he has scored over ten goals in the EPL.
- Ola Aina: The Nigerian defender was voted as the November Player of the Month by Forest supporters. Ola Aina scored his first Forest goal against West Ham United in November and he has played some impressive football of late. Aina is a confident player, and he will be looking to inspire his team to a victory against Aston Villa.
- Chris Wood: The Nottingham Forest forward has made over 240 appearances throughout his Premier League career. Chris Wood has scored over 70 goals in the EPL. These stats show us that the New Zealand international is a clinical finisher who can change the game for his team with a moment of magic.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST TEAM NEWS
Forest is expected to start their strongest team in this match. The likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ola Aina and Chris Wood are all set to run out for their team in this match.
ASTON VILLA: CURRENT FORM - WWLDD
Aston Villa will look to make it three wins in a row when they play Nottingham Forest. The Villans beat Southampton 1-0 on the 7th of December, and they scored a 3-1 victory against Brentford on the 4th of December. It’s turning into a good festive season for Aston Villa as their only loss up to this point in December came in a 3-0 loss against Chelsea on the 1st of December.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Morgan Rogers: The Aston Villa forward has scored four goals throughout the 2024-2025 English Premier League season. Morgan Rogers is a capable goalscorer and he will be looking to increase his goal tally against Nottingham Forest.
- John McGinn: The Scottish midfielder is the heart and soul of the Aston Villa midfield. John McGinn is an intelligent player who reads the game well. He has made over 180 appearances in the English Premier League, and he has scored over ten goals.
- Youri Tielemans: The Belgium midfielder links up well with the likes of John McGinn in the centre of the park. Youri Tielemans has made over 190 appearances in the Premier League and he has scored over 20 goals in the EPL throughout his career.
ASTON VILLA TEAM NEWS
Aston Villa have good depth and a fit squad to choose from for this game against Nottingham Forest. The likes of Morgan Rogers, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans are all expected to start this match.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
Nottingham Forest: 4-2-3-1
Sels, Murillo, Williams, Milenkovic, Aina, Silva, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Yates, Anderson, Wood.
Aston Villa: 4-2-3-1
Martinez, Maatsen, Carlos, Konsa, Torres, McGinn, Bailey, Kamara, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins.
SUGGESTED BETS
If you enjoy betting on the Premier League, here are some bets you can place at some of the best football sportsbooks.
Both Teams to Score: Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa both have great attacking talent all over the park. The last time the two teams played each other both teams scored. Both teams to score is worth a bet in this game. (13/20 with Betway) (13/20 with N1Bet) (31/50 with BC.Game)
2nd Half - Both Teams to Score: Both these teams are quite evenly matched and we think the first half might be a tense game with both teams getting a feel for each other before they both go for broke in the second half. It’s worth a bet for both teams to score in the second half. (41/20 with Betway) (41/20 with N1Bet) (41/20 with BC.Game)
Over 2.5 Goals: The 2024-2025 English Premier League season has been full of goals. Modern day football is very fast paced and exciting with lots of goals. We expect this game to showcase the best that the Premier League has to offer and it could rain down goals in this match. It’s a worthwhile bet to wager on over 2.5 goals in this game. (4/5 with Betway) (41/50 with N1Bet) (81/100 with BC.Game)
VALUE BETS
Chris Wood - Anytime Goalscorer: The Nottingham Forest forward has been in great goalscoring form throughout the 2024-2025 English Premier League. Wood has scored ten goals as of the 8th of December 2024. These goalscoring stats show us that the New Zealand international is a good bet as an Anytime Goalscorer. (99/50 with N1Bet) (99/50 with Betway) (99/50 with BC.Game)
Ollie Watkins - Anytime Goalscorer: The Aston Villa forward has also been at the goals throughout the 2024-2025 Premier League with seven goals. Ollie Watkins has made over 150 appearances in the English Premier League, and he has scored over 60 goals. These stats show us that Ollie Watkins is a good bet as an Anytime Goalscorer. (91/50 with Betway) (91/50 with N1Bet) (91/50 with BC.Game)
First Team to Score - Nottingham Forest: Forest are going to be motivated by their home crowd and we are expecting a fast start to the game from them. Nottingham Forest to score the first goal is worth a bet. (24/25 with Betway) (24/25 with N1Bet) (1/1 with BC.Game)
PREDICTION: DRAW AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
As you can see from all the stats in this match preview and both teams' current form and position on the Premier League table, there is not much to separate these two teams at the moment. Based on these statistics and recent form, we believe that this game is set up nicely to be an exciting close encounter. We think that this game will end in a draw with both teams contributing to a competitive game with goals from both teams. (31/10 with Betway)
Josh has over ten years of experience as a Sports Writer. Josh has created content for some of the biggest sports brands and publications in South Africa. Josh is a creative writer who puts you in the game with his unique content. Josh writes about Soccer, Rugby, Cricket, Basketball, Darts, Golf, and all major sports.