- Aston Villa face Nottingham Forest in matchday 32 of the Premier League
- Both teams played the first legs of their Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday
- They are also both looking for their second consecutive league win
Aston Villa return to Premier League football on Sunday as they travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest.
The Villans will be fresh off the back of their 3-1 win over Bologna in the Europa League; meanwhile Forest drew 1-1 with Porto.
Each team is entering the crunch point in the season, with both clubs fighting at different ends of the table. Villa are looking to finish in the top five to qualify for the Champions League, whilst Vítor Pereira’s side are battling to avoid relegation.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.
How to watch
| Teams | Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa |
| Date | Sunday 12th April |
| Kick Off | 14:00 UK time |
| Stadium | The City Ground |
| Watch Live (UK) | Sky Sports Premier League |
Recent form
Nottingham Forest
Forest earned their first league win in seven matches, in their previous game against relegation rivals, Tottenham, before the international break. The Reds have struggled with a lack of goals, but that result gave them a significant boost for their hopes of steering clear of the drop.
In the Europa League, they’ve managed to edge through to the quarter-finals and are currently evenly matched after their first leg with Porto.
Here are their last five results:
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 09/04/26 | Porto 1-1 Nottingham Forest | Europa League Quarter-Final first leg |
| 22/03/26 | Tottenham 0-3 Nottingham Fores | Premier League |
| 19/03/26 | FC Midtjylland 1-2 (0-3 pens) Nottingham Forest | Europa League RO16 second leg |
| 15/03/26 | Nottingham Forest 0-0 Fulham | Premier League |
| 12/03/26 | Nottingham Forest 0-1 FC Midtjylland | Europa League RO16 second leg |
Aston Villa
The return of key players such as John McGinn and Youri Tielemans has come at the right time for Villa. After suffering with a dip in form without them, they have now managed to regain some confidence and energy back in the squad.
Crucially, they were victorious over West Ham in their match before the international break. Their Champions League rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all dropped points, so it was vital they took advantage.
The hope for silverware also continues after beating Bologna 3-1 on Thursday. It wasn’t a scoreline reflective of their performance, as the Italian side were unlucky, but Villa won’t care.
Here are their last five results:
| Date | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 09/04/26 | Bologna 1-3 Aston Villa | Europa League Quarter-Final first leg |
| 22/03/26 | Aston Villa 2-0 West Ham | Premier League |
| 19/03/26 | Aston Villa 2-0 Lille | Europa League RO16 second leg |
| 15/03/26 | Manchester United 3-1 Aston Villa | Premier League |
| 12/03/26 | Lille 0-1 Aston Villa | Europa League RO16 first leg |
Team news
Nottingham Forest:
- Chris Wood made his return from injury on Thursday, but will likely be on the bench
- Jair Cunha, Jhon Victor and Willy Boly remain sidelined
Aston Villa:
- Alysson has returned to training and could feature
- Jadon Sancho is “getting better” and will be checked on Saturday
Predicted lineups
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Jesus
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen, Onana, Barkley, McGinn, Rogers, Buendía, Watkins
What the managers say
Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
In his pre-match press conference, Unai Emery discussed the challenges of facing Forest.
“They are a team performing consistent, the years they are in Premier League, and with the same players.
“But the Premier League is very, very difficult, and of course, for different circumstances, they are not getting the points they deserve, but they are the same team, and the same players, and only they are changing coaches for different circumstances.
“I respect a lot, (Vítor) Pereira, because he’s a very good coach, and he has a lot of experiences, and I think they are playing, competing very well.”
He also spoke about the importance of qualifying for the Champions League.
“Europe is very important. Of course, I think the Premier League is the first objective we have each year, but to play in Europe is something giving us a lot of possibilities to develop as a club, adding more objectives.
“And, of course, getting prestige for the club, for us, for the workers, the professional people, and for the supporters, it is something as well, amazing.
“Yesterday, they were travelling to Bologna, 2,500 supporters, and I think they were so, so happy, so, so proud of us, and I appreciate, and we are really, everybody, thankful.
“And this is the way I want, and my message is not only to play thinking the end of the season, how long we are going to do this way. For me, the most important is the process during the way.”
we have a game against Aston Villa in which our supporters will be very important in helping us.
Vítor Pereira (Nottingham Forest)
“They’re a very strong team, especially when playing at home, but thinking about us; I’m happy because we have the chance to decide the game, it is still open.”
