Nottingham Forest’s win against West Ham on Saturday, February 17, was the Reds’ first Premier League win in five matches. The 2-0 victory moved them four points clear of the relegation zone and vindicated the clear attacking improvements the squad have made under new manager Nuno Espírito Santo.
African Cup of Nations champions Ibrahim Sangaré and Willy Boly have returned to the squad but are unavailable to play against Aston Villa due to injuries picked up in the latter stages of the international competition. The same goes for Nigerian full-back Ola Aina, who lost the final. Here is the Nottingham Forest predicted lineup for the visit to Villa Park.
Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs Aston Villa in Premier League Clash
How Nottingham Forest Have Lined-up Recently
Matz Sels has started three Premier League matches in a row. The clean sheet against West Ham was Forest’s first since November 5, 2023, which was the reverse fixture against Aston Villa when the Tricky Trees ran out 2-0 winners.
Neco Williams has impressed at right-back in recent weeks in the absence of experienced full-back Gonzalo Montiel, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Nuno Tavares has also cemented his starting place on the other side of the defence, forming an effective relationship with the in-form winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Moussa Niakhaté was replaced by Brazilian centre-back Felipe against West Ham, and he was able to form a solid partnership with fellow countryman Murillo. Nuno is unlikely to change this pairing, however, Niakhaté was impressive in the reverse fixture against Ollie Watkins, so the defensive team selection might not be as straightforward as it seems.
Danilo and Nico Dominguez were impressive in the home victory over the Irons, and the injury to Sangaré means the midfield duo look set to keep their places.
Anthony Elanga has started the last three matches, registering a fortunate assist last time out. The former Manchester United winger has five goals and seven assists so far this season. Hudson-Odoi is full of confidence, scoring in three consecutive matches on the opposite wing.
Morgan Gibbs-White continues to thrive in the number ten role under Nuno and looks set to start against Villa. Taiwo Awoniyi declared that he was “fine” in his post-match interview against West Ham. The Nigerian striker’s fitness will have to be monitored carefully, especially given the absence of top scorer Chris Wood.
Nottingham Forest Recent Form and Tactics
Nuno has now been in charge of eight Premier League matches inspiring a “revolution”. In that time, Forest have scored 15 goals, averaging 1.9 strikes per game. They will need this rate to continue in this game, as Villa have scored 31 goals in their 12 home league matches this season.
The manager will likely put out an unchanged team for this match, meaning he will continue with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. The performances of Elanga and Hudson-Odoi will be critical to Forest’s chances in this game. Villa’s weak link in recent weeks has arguably been the full-back position, with Matty Cash and Alex Moreno vulnerable to quick counterattacks.
Forest will look to exploit this potential weakness, as well as play quick balls over the top of Villa’s extremely high line. In the game at the City Ground, the Reds’ continually penetrated the offside trap, squandering multiple opportunities in their 2-0 win.
Although Unai Emery has dropped the line slightly deeper since the last time the two teams met, they will still feel like the space in behind the backline on quick transitions will be their route to goal.
In fact, Emery has struggled against Nuno in previous Premier League meetings. When the former managed Arsenal, he was unable to beat the katter’s Wolves in all three fixtures they played against each other.
Nottingham Forest Injuries to Consider vs Aston Villa
As already mentioned, the three AFCON finalists are all unavailable for this match. In his press conference on Friday, February 23, Nuno said: “We have some problems. The three players who returned are not available. All of them – Ola, Willy and Ibrahim – came with injuries, so they will not be available for this match. We don’t have a date for their return.
“Ola got injured in the semi-final and played the final with an injury, he tried but didn’t really play in the final. Ibrahim the same, he was struggling since he was there at the AFCON. So the three of them are not available, which is bad for us.”
Wood and Montiel are also still sidelined. After Forest’s trip to Kenilworth Road on March 16, there is a two-week international break, so the injured pair might be eyeing up the home match against Crystal Palace on March 30 as a potential return date.
Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup
GK: Matz Sels
RB: Neco Williams
CB: Felipe
CB: Murillo
LB: Nuno Tavares
DM: Danilo
DM: Nico Dominguez
RM: Anthony Elanga
CAM: Morgan Gibbs-White
LM: Callum Hudson-Odoi
ST: Taiwo Awoniyi
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