Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Prediction: In-form sides to get a goal each at Villa Park

Aston Villa did their European aspirations a huge favour on Wednesday, overtaking Brighton & Hove Albion in seventh with a 3-0 victory over the Seagulls. The Villans are three points behind fifth-place Manchester City and can draw level with the reigning Premier League champions, who play Manchester United on Sunday, by beating Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday (17:30, Sky Sports Main Event).

Below are my Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds, as the visitors chase a fourth consecutive win to further cement their top-four credentials.

Team News

Unai Emery has confirmed Jamaican winger Leon Bailey will be assessed ahead of Saturday's fixture with Forest. The 27-year-old missed last Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final win at Preston North End, as well as the midweek victory over Brighton, with a knock, but is getting closer to a return.

“Bailey is getting better but we’ll check this [Friday] afternoon how he’s progressing," said Emery.

Ross Barkley has recently returned to training following a lengthy absence with a knee injury, but it remains to be seen whether he will be back in Villa's squad on Saturday.

Football Odds

On-loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford has started Villa's last two games as a central striker, bagging a brace against Preston before opening the scoring at Brighton. Ollie Watkins has had to settle for a substitute role the past week, so it will be interesting to see whether the Villans' top scorer is brought back into the starting XI for the visit of Forest.

Emery may have one eye on Wednesday's trip to Paris, where they will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League quarter-final tie, so there could be a few changes made to his line-up here.

As well as Watkins, Amadou Onana, Marco Asensio, Axel Disasi and Donyell Malen all appeared off the bench in Brighton and will be looking for opportunities from the off this weekend. January arrivals Asensio and Malen both got on the scoresheet at the Amex Stadium, the latter netting his first in claret and blue colours.

Ola Aina will miss his first Premier League game of the season on Saturday after suffering a calf injury in Forest's 1-0 win against Manchester United on Tuesday. The 28-year-old was taken off in the 39th minute at the City Ground, with Alex Moreno and Morato both brought on as Nuno Espirito Santo reshuffled his pack, going 5-4-1 and moving Neco Williams over to right wing-back.

However, on-loan Villa left-back Moreno is unable to play due to the terms of his loan agreement.

Eric Moreira is an option to start at left-back but he is only just returning from an injury issue, and Nuno has suggested this game is likely to come too soon for the 18-year-old German.

Forest remain hopeful that leading marksman Chris Wood will overcome the hip problem he suffered on international duty with New Zealand last month, but Taiwo Awoniyi, who has started in place of the 33-year-old in the side's last two games, is on standby to lead the line again this weekend.

Nuno is also boosted by the return of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who missed the victory over Man United because of a personal matter.

Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Odds

Villa and Forest are both in great form, picking up 10 points apiece over their last five games, but it's the hosts who are made favourites for Saturday's contest. The Villans are 21/20 to triumph on home soil, implying a win probability of 48.8%, while the visitors are 13/5, or a 27.8% chance, to do the double after beating Emery's side 2-1 at the City Ground in December.

The draw is priced at 13/5, both teams to score - which has landed in the last two head-to-heads - at 4/6, and over 2.5 total goals at 4/5.

Watkins (7/5) and Wood (8/5) head the anytime goalscorer market, but the in-form Rashford (2/1) could be one to consider.

Player to Receive a Card - Morgan Rogers (AVL) @ 7/2

Possible rotation from Emery is a danger to this selection, with a huge game against PSG on the horizon, but Rogers is as durable as they come, starting 29 of Villa's 30 Premier League matches this season.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant campaign with the Villans, registering 13 direct goal contributions (seven goals, six assists) in the league, but as well as playing his part in attack, he's also been a huge plus point going the other way, helping his team to defend.

His enthusiasm does spill over sometimes, however, and the former Middlesbrough man, who is averaging 1.6 fouls per 90 in the Premier League this season, has been booked eight times.

Rogers has avoided a card in his last six league outings but I think his next one could be right around the corner, with a few Forest players likely to pose problems at Villa Park this weekend.

Forest midfielder Ryan Yates was taken down four times by Man United players in midweek and is fouled 2.5 times per 90, while Elliot Anderson (1.9) and Morgan Gibbs-White (1.3) also play in central areas and could coax Rogers into committing a few fouls on Saturday.

Both Teams To Score - Yes @ 4/6

Only Fulham (73%) have seen both teams score in a higher proportion of their Premier League games this season than Villa (67%), whose figure rises to 80% at Villa Park.

BTTS - Yes has been a winner in Villa's last seven league games at home, and the selection landed in the corresponding fixture last season as Emery's side won 4-2.

Forest (43%) are joint-bottom of the BTTS table, but their last three away matches have seen both teams score, and they've shipped 13 goals across their last four on the road.

December's reverse fixture produced three strikes, two in favour of Forest and one for Villa.

Both sides are in great form and should bring with them a lot of confidence into Saturday's contest, so I can see Villa and Forest getting on the scoresheet here, which is still, in my opinion, worth backing at 4/6.

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