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Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Preview: Odds, Tips & Prediction

Date: Sunday, April 12 Venue: City Ground Stadium Kick-off: 14:00 Nottingham Forest face Groundhog Day as they entertain Aston Villa on Sunday, April 12, in a clash that could go some way to determining their Premier League future. The margins are fine at the bottom, and trusted betting sites will update outright markets throughout the season and carry pre-match odds for all games. Vitor Pereira has instilled more confidence into a Forest side, who, for large chunks of the campaign, were floundering. Still, a handsome 3-0 victory away to Tottenham in their last league outing has enhanced their survival chances.

published: 06-04-2026

Last updated: 06-04-2026

Charles Perrin
Charles Perrin
Sports Betting Writer
Chad Nagel
Sports Betting & Casino Editor

5 minread

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John McGinn of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match

John McGinn of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the Premier League match / Getty Images

While Villa are in the upper echelons of the table, they will be looking to consolidate a top-four spot, and they are just a point adrift of third-placed Manchester United.

Derbies are always febrile occasions, and to set the mood, we’ve shared some betting tips to go alongside our match preview for Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Nottingham Forest Favourites

Pre-match betting odds can be easily located at reputable online bookmakers. We’ve shared the latest prices available for Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

  1. Home: 6/4 (2.50) – 40%

  2. Draw: 11/5 (3.20) – 31.3%

  3. Away: 8/5 (2.60) – 38.5%

    *Odds courtesy of Bet Vickers, subject to change.

Head-to-Head Record

Premier League head-to-head records can often sway picks. Ahead of Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa, we’ve addressed how recent encounters have unfolded.

Previous Meetings (Premier League)

  • 03/01/26: Aston Villa 3-1 Nottingham Forest
  • 05/04/25: Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest
  • 14/12/24: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Aston Villa
  • 24/02/24: Aston Villa 4-2 Nottingham Forest
  • 05/11/23: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Aston Villa

Nottingham Forest Current Form – LLDDW

Although not out of the woods just yet, Forest have given themselves a decent chance of salvaging their Premier League status.

Back-to-back clean sheets against Fulham and Tottenham were impressive, and the way in which they put the latter to the sword demonstrated they deserve another season in the top division.

Despite seeing less of the ball, they posed a greater threat going forward, and they had a higher xG (expected goals) rate of 1.48. Moreover, their top players turned up to the party, making Tottenham look very ordinary.

Pereira has tried to go back to basics, and Forest need to keep things simple if they are going to hurt Villa.

Key Players to Watch

  •  Morgan Gibbs-White
    A key cog in the Forest machine, Morgan Gibbs-White has been in stellar form, weighing in with nine goals and two assists, so Villa will need to keep him on a tight leash.
  •  Igor Jesus
    Fast and technically gifted, Igor Jesus would have liked to have added a few more goals to his current tally (three), but he could cause Villa problems with his clever movement in and around the penalty area.
  • Callum Hudson-Odoi
    Aside from his brilliant link-up play, Callum Hudson-Odoi loves whizzing down the flanks, and he has chipped in with some vital goals, so he could have an important role to play against Villa.

Nottingham Forest Team News

There are a few players carrying knocks, such as John Victor; however, they should be passed fit given they’ve had the international break to give them a chance to recover.

Aston Villa Current Form – DLLLW

Despite pushing Arsenal and Manchester City for a few months, Aston Villa have slipped off the pace recently.

Their current form would suggest they are going through a downturn, with just one win recorded from their past five league outings.

That said, they’ve had a tough run of games, which featured Chelsea where they were comfortably beaten 4-1, and they were on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline against United at Old Trafford. In that game, they managed fewer crosses, and the Red Devils cruised through that match.

A 2-0 win at home to West Ham in their last league game will have settled the nerves, but Unai Emery’s need to roll up their sleeves, press high, and win the second balls if they are going to disrupt Forest.

Key Players to Watch

  • Morgan Rogers
    A saviour for Villa this season, Morgan Rogers has been sublime, netting some spectacular long-range goals, so Forest must be wary.
  • John McGinn
    Despite missing some of the campaign through injury, John McGinn threads the midfield well, and he grabbed two in the previous clash with Forest at Villa Park earlier this term.
  • Ollie Watkins
    Although he may get criticised for the chances he misses, Ollie Watkins is an ever-present threat, and he has rattled home nine goals this term.

Aston Villa Team News

Apart from Boubacar Kamara (knee), Villa have no other underlying injury issues for the trip to the City Ground.

Predicted Line-Ups

  1. Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)

    Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

  2. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1)

    Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Barkley, Sancho, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins

Suggested Bets

Premier League betting platforms are awash with markets, and the following have guided today’s match predictions.

  1. Both Teams to Score (Yes): The past four league clashes has seen the BTTS line met, so this could happen again. (8/11 with Best Odds)

  2. Goal in Both Halves (Yes): The past two meetings have been frenetic affairs, with goals scored in both halves, so this line has legs to it. (5/6 with Dragon Bet)

  3. First Goal – Nottingham Forest: Given their predicament, Forest will want to get off to a strong start, and they could net the opening goal of the game. (24/25 with 247Bet)

Value Bets

If you’re looking for a bigger return on your wager, the following value lines can be unearthed at revered football betting sites.

  1. Aston Villa to Win to Nil: Villa’s defence wasn’t breached against West Ham, and although they haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of the last five meetings with Forest, that could change this weekend. (15/4 with PricedUp)

  2. Anytime scorer – John McGinn: Given the fact he scored a double against Forest in the previous encounter, the Scot to score at any point across the 90 minutes is worth tapping up. (11/2 with Lucky Mate)

  3. First Scoring Type – Header: Both sides have plenty of height, and for the purpose of value, this could be worth jumping on. (13/4 with Betnero)

Prediction: Nottingham Forest to Win

While it has been a largely unforgettable campaign for Nottingham Forest, they will relish the chance to get stuck into Aston Villa, who have had a bit of a downslide in form lately.

Although Forest still have a bit of work to do to secure their top-flight status, they have won their previous two clashes against Villa at home. This should give them some confidence, and we’re backing Forest to come out on top.

Charles Perrin
Charles PerrinSports Betting Writer

Charles Perrin is a seasoned sports and betting journalist with a career built around delivering insightful, engaging, and SEO-savvy content for a global digital audience. With a focus on football, NBA, NHL, golf, and a wide range of other sports, Charles has spent over a decade creating content that blends analysis, tips, and features in a way that keeps readers coming back.

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