Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest predictions: Premier League tips & 19/4 Bet Builder

Aston Villa will be hoping their Champions League win over Club Brugge can help kickstart their Premier League season as they host Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Villa have just one point and have failed to score in any of their first three league games but clicked into gear in Europe on Tuesday with an encouraging 3-2 win in Belgium. Forest are also on the hunt for their first win under Oliver Glasner, after drawing to Liverpool and Tottenham in their last two games following on from defeat to Leeds on the opening day.

Check out our expert Bet Builder for Villa vs Forest at Villa Park, as well as predictions, lineups, odds and key match information.

Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest match details

• Fixture: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest

• Competition: Premier League

• Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026

• Kick-off: 15:00 BST

• Venue: Villa Park

Our prediction: Aston Villa 2-2 Nottingham Forest

Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest predicted lineups

Aston Villa

Our predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Suzuki / Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen / Kamara, Barkley / McGinn, Buendia, Hemmings / Jackson

Nottingham Forest

Our predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Sels / Cunha, Milenkovic, Murillo / Aina, Schlager, McAtee, Williams / Gibbs-White, Ndoye / Delap

Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Bet Builder

Check out Ladbrokes' Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Bet Builder, which is coming in at 19/4.

• Leg 1 - Emiliano Buendia to have 1+ shots on target

• Leg 2 - Morgan Gibbs-White to have 1+ shots on target

• Leg 3 - Over 2.5 goals to be scored

• Leg 4 - Aston Villa to win or draw

Emiliano Buendia to have 1+ shots on target

Only George Hemmings has managed a shot on target for Villa in the Premier League this season, but their improvement against Brugge suggests they will be more effective in the attacking third at home on Saturday. Emiliano Buendia scored Villa's second on the night in Belgium and was one of three players to have two shots on target in the match alongside John McGinn and Nicolas Jackson. Four of Buendia's six Premier League goals came at home last season and we're expecting him to test Matz Sels with a shot on target here.

Morgan Gibbs-White to have 1+ shots on target

Forest have been more free-flowing in attack but were held to a 0-0 draw by Tottenham last weekend, but it was not for the lack of effort from their main man Morgan Gibbs-White. The England midfielder has averaged 2.3 shots per game in the Premier League this season and has hit the target in two of his three matches. Having scored in this fixture last season, we're backing Gibbs-White to at least force a save out of Zion Suzuki.

Over 2.5 goals to be scored

Twelve goals were scored across four games between Villa and Forest last season, with the two taking place at Villa Park in the Premier League and Europa League semi-final responsible for nine of those as the hosts won 3-1 and 4-0. In fact, this fixture has breached the three-goal barrier in seven of the last eight meetings, with the pair even playing out a 5-5 draw in the Championship in 2018. There are signs that both attacks are beginning to find a rhythm this season, and this game could be the one where we see a few goals scored at Villa Park once again.

Aston Villa to win or draw

Villa's record at home against Forest is very strong, going 11 games without defeat to their Midlands rivals at Villa Park, winning eight of those, with Forest's last win at the ground coming all the way back in 1994. Villa are the favourites in this tie, but Emery's record against Glasner should also be taken into account, with the Basque manager failing to win any of their seven games against each other. As a result, we've opted for a double chance bet backing a Villa win or draw to cover your bases if the Reds manage to take something from the game.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.