Nottingham Forest – Aston Villa

In Nottingham, both opponents score goals.

Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are seven games to go in the Premier League and are among the clubs with the strongest league motivation. The clubs are also united by their involvement in the Europa League, where on Thursday they played another round of fixtures. Nottingham Forest, despite their glorious past, are taking part in European competition for the first time in a long while this season. However, the main headlines in the information space around the club come from the actions of the management. It concerns the dismissal of three coaches in the current season. After sacking Nuno Espírito Santo, the architect of last year’s successes, Nottingham’s president led them to sixteenth place in the Premier League. The Forest sit three points above the relegation zone, but that is not their only problem. In the fight for survival for Victor Pereira’s side, Tottenham and West Ham are their main rivals, both of whom have a solid status in England. Both London clubs have won European trophies in the last three years. Aston Villa is pursuing its objectives and striving to collect points in every match. Unai Emery’s team endured a second major downturn in February and March this season, but is now clearly gaining momentum. Also pleasing for the Villans was the news that not four but five Premier League clubs will qualify for the next edition of the Champions League. Aston Villa has a six-point lead over Chelsea, who sit sixth. Bookmakers have not yet determined a favourite for the upcoming match, offering nearly equal odds for both sides. Nottingham Forest on Thursday in Portugal drew with a very strong Porto. The Forest’s mood is boosted by their victory in the previous round over a direct relegation rival. With a 3-0 score in London, Tottenham were crushed. The squad in Nottingham is quite capable of taking points from the upcoming opponent. Aston Villa arrived on Friday from Italy, where in the Europa League they beat Bologna 3-1. Unai Emery’s team has a run of three consecutive wins and, undoubtedly, will come to Nottingham for three points. It is reasonable to assume that in a match between two motivated opponents with strong attacking lines, neither club will leave the field without a goal.