Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa: Premier League preview, predictions and bet builder tips

• Ladbrokes previews Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, April 12.

• With Forest fighting against relegation and Villa trying to secure Champions League football for next season, both sides need a victory, but Ladbrokes' team of experts is predicting either a draw or win for the away side.

• We're also tipping both teams to score, with Ollie Watkins also tipped to find the back of the net.

Ladbrokes brings you an in-depth match preview for Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa in the Premier League, including predictions, lineups and expert bet builder tips.

Games are vital at this stage of the season for both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, but for very different reasons. Unai Emery's Villa are fighting for a place inside the top five, whilst Forest's battle is to beat the drop and remain in the Premier League next season.

What that does mean though is that both sides are going to have to go for this one, with even a draw being far from ideal with just seven games left of the current campaign.

Forest and Villa played in the Europa League this week too, so both come into this game without having made a mid-week break. Our team of experts think this is either going to end up as a draw, or an away win.

With it all to play for, read on for our in-depth Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa bet builder, and don't forget to check out our complete preview of every single Premier League match from this gameweek.

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa match details

• Fixture: Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

• Competition: Premier League

• Date: Sunday, 12 April, 2026

• Kick-off: 14:00 BST

• Venue: City Ground

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa prediction

Our prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa predicted lineups

Nottingham Forest

Our predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sels / Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams / Anderson, Sangare / Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Ndoye / Jesus

Aston Villa

Our predicted XI (4-3-3): Martinez / Cash, Torres, Konsa, Digne / Onana, Tielemans, Luiz / McGinn, Rogers, Watkins

Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa bet builder tips

Aston Villa double chance

Our match prediction is for a draw, but to hedge our bets we're going with a 'double chance' pick as the first leg of our bet builder, covering both a draw and an Aston Villa win.

The table doesn't lie, and Forest are fighting to stay in the division, while Aston Villa are just seven points off second. Vitor Pereira’s side are hard to beat, especially at home, but we do think Villa could have the quality to overcome that.

As noted, we think this one could end up being a draw, so just to be safe, the first leg of our Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa bet builder is for the away side to either win or draw.

Ollie Watkins to score

Ollie Watkins has a point to prove between now and the end of the season, with a spot in England's 2026 World Cup squad very much on the line.

Despite Thomas Tuchel calling up 35 players for his final two pre-World Cup friendlies in March, there was no space for Watkins in the squad. The Aston Villa number nine, with a chip on his shoulder, responded with two goals as his side beat Bologna 3-1 in the Europa League this week.

Watkins has had a mixed season for Villa so far, but we're tipping him to make it at least ten goals for the campaign in the Premier League by the time the full-time whistle blows at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.

Both teams to score

Aston Villa have been one of the league's best sides this season, based on points, but they're not the most solid defensively. As a result of injuries to both the backline and midfield, Villa have conceded at least one in seven of their last ten Premier League games.

The 37 goals that Villa have conceded is just one fewer than 2025 playoff winners Sunderland, and actually more than Everton. Even when they win, Villa tend to concede goals.

Forest, by comparison, have scored in 60% of their last ten Premier League outings, including putting three past Tottenham in their last domestic league game.

All signs point towards both teams finding the back of the net here, which is why we're tipping both teams to score as the third leg of our bet builder.

Matty Cash to commit at least one foul

Coming up against his former club, we're tipping Aston Villa and Poland right-back Matty Cash to commit one foul, but potentially even more, against Nottingham Forest this weekend.

Cash is averaging over one foul a game in the Premier League this season, and against a tricky winger in Callum Hudson-Odoi, we expect the Pole to have a rather busy afternoon.

In his side's last game, a 3-1 Europa League win against Bologna, Cash committed two fouls, taking his average in Europe this season to one foul a game.

You can bet on each of these markets individually, or combine them to create a Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Bet Builder, currently priced at 6/1.

With Bet Builder+, you can combine your bet with selections not only with other Premier League matches, but also with different sports.

View the latest football odds here.

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