Aston Villa have the opportunity to go second in the table on Saturday (12:30 GMT) when they host a Nottingham Forest side who are winless in their six most recent Premier League away games in this fixture, losing the last five, since a 2-0 victory in October 1994. All good things must come to an end but Aston Villa's staff, players and supporters could afford to be phlegmatic about the defeat at Arsenal which ended a club record-equalling 11-match winning run in all competitions. Villa now trail the league leaders by six points after a chastening second half on Tuesday night but, perhaps more pertinently with Champions League qualification in mind, their first defeat in nine league games was mitigated by results elsewhere.
Aston Villa have the opportunity to go second in the table on Saturday (12:30 GMT) when they host a Nottingham Forest side who are winless in their six most recent Premier League away games in this fixture, losing the last five, since a 2-0 victory in October 1994.
Vanquished Villa seek home comforts
All good things must come to an end but Aston Villa's staff, players and supporters could afford to be phlegmatic about the defeat at Arsenal which ended a club record-equalling 11-match winning run in all competitions.
Villa now trail the league leaders by six points after a chastening second half on Tuesday night but, perhaps more pertinently with Champions League qualification in mind, their first defeat in nine league games was mitigated by results elsewhere.
All four teams immediately below Villa in the table failed to win at home in midweek, ensuring Unai Emery's side have a nine-point cushion over fifth-placed Chelsea.
The Villans ended 2025 with a club record 36 wins in a calendar year in all competitions, with 22 of those coming from their 27 fixtures at Villa Park. No side in Europe's top five leagues has a better home record since the start of last year.
Villa have only lost to Crystal Palace, twice, in 40 home games since September 2024 and they're targeting an 11th successive home win for the first time in 36 years.
Key first-team players Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash return after serving one-match bans, while Brazilian 19-year-old right winger Alysson has signed for an initial £8.7m from Gremio.
Forest in need of "killer moments"
A year ago, Nottingham Forest were where Aston Villa are now – third in the table, six points off the top. They began 2025 with a sixth successive league victory but, 12 months on, sit fourth bottom after a run of three straight defeats.
It was a defeat at Villa Park in April which began Forest's slide from third place with eight games remaining last season to an eventual finish of seventh.
Sean Dyche is the club's third head coach since then and unease around the club was heightened by Tuesday's insipid home defeat against Everton. Forest had 70% possession and attempted 52 crosses – their highest figures in a Premier League game since promotion in 2022 – but Dyche lamented his side's inability to engineer "a killer moment".
Goalscoring has been an issue for them all season. Only winless Wolves have fewer goals and a worse shot conversion rate, while no team has failed to score in more Premier League games this season than Nottingham Forest.
Where Dyche has seen hope is in his side's performances against high-profile opposition, saying: "We have risen to the big games." He's right – they've beaten Liverpool and Tottenham, drawn against Manchester United and were unlucky in defeat against Manchester City last weekend.
Category: General Sports
