🔴 Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa 👈

 

When Forest succumbed to a 4-0 defeat to Leicester City in the East Midlands derby, the writing appeared to be on the wall for Steve Cooper with the powers-that-be at the City Ground seemingly wanting to bring about another change in the dugout.

As harsh and controversial as the potential decision felt, Cooper was reportedly not without blame having failed to pen a new deal, but any outstanding issues were resolved in the days following the embarrassment at the King Power Stadium.

Cooper, with a new sporting director by his side, has now committed until 2025, and the Welshman is now tasked with trying to end a dismal run which has seen 18 goals conceded in 450 minutes of football.

Beginning the latest matchday just two points from safety, it should certainly not be all doom and gloom at Forest, but Cooper must find a way to bring greater balance to his team's style of play amid the mass arrivals at the club.

Four of Forest's six goals in the Premier League this season have come in 3-2 defeats, highlighting that a more reserved approach may be required for the time being.

In sharp contrast, Villa supporters want to see the exact opposite from Steven Gerrard and his players after an uninspiring start to the new campaign.

Despite getting Villa back on track with five points from three matches, Gerrard is under pressure on a game-by-game basis, largely due to a style of play which is not always easy on the eye.

Nevertheless, despite the disappointment of posting a goalless draw at 10-man Leeds United last time out, it was a second successive clean sheet, something which had not been achieved since April.

Villa remain just three points adrift of seventh position, highlighting that one or two wins in a row could change the whole dynamic at the club.

However, Gerrard appears to be walking that tightrope where a defeat could result in the Villa hierarchy opting for a change in leadership.

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Preview

Nottingham Forest are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League standings and have endured an abysmal season so far. The hosts suffered a damaging 4-0 defeat against Leicester City in their previous game and will look to bounce back this week.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, are in 14th place in the league table at the moment and have been inconsistent so far this season. The away side played out a 0-0 stalemate against Leeds United last week and will look to take it up a notch in this fixture.

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Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• Aston Villa have a good record against Nottingham Forest and have won 60 out of the 128 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Aston Villa's 38 victories.
• Aston Villa have scored eight goals in their last two matches against Nottingham Forest, with their opponents managed six goals in these games.
• Nottingham Forest have won only one of their last 10 Premier League games played against Aston Villa between 1992 and 1999, with their previous victory coming in 1994.
• After a run of 11 Premier League matches in which they conceded at least one goal in every game, Aston Villa have managed to keep clean sheets in their last two games.
• Nottingham Forest have lost six of their last eight matches in the Premier League and have conceded 18 goals in their last five games in the competition.
• Nottingham Forest have faced 136 shots so far this season - the third-highest tally in the Premier League since the 2003-04 campaign.

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Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Prediction

Aston Villa can pack a punch on their day but have several issues to address ahead of this fixture. The likes of Philippe Coutinho and Ollie Watkins are yet to step up this season and will want to win this game.