Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Prediction - UEFA Europa League
Aston Villa are in devastating form with a run of five consecutive wins, and they will face a Nottingham Forest side struggling with a serious injury crisis at City Ground.
The clash between Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League takes place against a backdrop of two teams displaying completely contrasting performances. While the Birmingham-based side is soaring with incredibly impressive form, the home team Nottingham Forest is struggling to cope with a wave of injuries sweeping through their squad.
02:00 on May 1st - UEFA Europa League Group Stage
The match will be held at City Ground, where Nottingham Forest always receives enthusiastic support from their home crowd. However, this time the challenge is immense as their opponent is an Aston Villa team playing with high confidence.
Current league position and form
Aston Villa currently sit second in the league table with 21 points. Unai Emery's team are demonstrating absolute dominance, winning all five of their most recent matches. Since the start of the season, Villa have won 11 out of 12 games played, scoring 24 goals (an average of 2 goals per game) and conceding only 7.
In contrast, Nottingham Forest are currently ranked 13th with 14 points. The home team's form has been somewhat inconsistent, with 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw in their last 5 matches. Although they possess a decent attack with 24 goals in 14 games, Forest's defense remains a cause for concern, having conceded 12 goals.
Head-to-head history: The advantage leans towards the away team.
Looking at the history of the last 5 head-to-head matches, Aston Villa has the advantage with 3 wins, 1 draw, and only 1 loss against Nottingham Forest. Notably, in their most recent encounter in April 2026, the two teams drew 1-1.
- April 12, 2026: Nottingham Forest 1 - 1 Aston Villa
- January 3, 2026: Aston Villa 3 - 1 Nottingham Forest
- April 5, 2025: Aston Villa 2 - 1 Nottingham Forest
- December 15, 2024: Nottingham Forest 2 - 1 Aston Villa
- February 24, 2024: Aston Villa 4 - 2 Nottingham Forest
Team situation: Concerns from Forest Hospital
The home team is facing a difficult personnel situation with a long list of absentees. Key players such as T. Awoniyi, W. Boly, C. Hudson-Odoi, John Victor, and L. Netz are all unavailable due to various injuries, the most serious being knee injuries to Boly and Savona. The participation of Cunha and Murillo remains uncertain due to muscle injuries.
On the other side of the pitch, Aston Villa are also missing a few key players such as Alysson, R. Barkley, and B. Kamara (all with knee injuries). Midfielder A. Onana is recovering and his availability needs further assessment.
Tactical analysis and prediction
With a consistent scoring record and a solid defense (conceding only 0.6 goals per game), Aston Villa are likely to control the match and put pressure on their opponents from the start. Nottingham Forest, despite having home advantage, will have to prioritize defense before thinking about counter-attacks, especially as they are missing so many key players in all three lines.
Experts rate Aston Villa's chances of winning and a draw as equal (50%). Overall, the away team is predicted to get at least one point from City Ground to consolidate their position at the top of the table.
