Seventh-place Aston Villa hosts third-place Nottingham Forest in a crucial clash in the race for Champions League football.
Date: 05/04/2025
Location: Villa Park
Time: 5:30pm
The last meeting between these two sides on 14th December saw Nottingham Forest run out as 2-1 winners at the City Ground, as late goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga turned the game on its head after Jhon Duran had given Villa the lead in the 63rd-minute.
When Villa and Forest last went head-to-head at Villa Park, though, back in February 2024, Villa ran out as 4-2 victors as Ollie Watkins, Douglas Luiz (2) and Leon Bailey all got on the scoresheet while Moussa Niakhite and Morgan Gibbs-White scored consolation goals for the visitors.
Unai Emery’s men are firmly in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League, as they are seventh in the table, just three points behind fourth-place Manchester City with eight games to go, having won 13, drawn nine and lost eight.
On top of their impressive Premier League season, the Villains managed to progress to the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they’ll meet Crystal Palace having managed to progress past the likes of West Ham (2-1), Tottenham Hotspur (2-1), Cardiff City (2-0) and Preston North End (3-0).
Villa are also going strong in the UEFA Champions League and will face PSG in the quarter-finals of that competition following their 6-1 aggregate demolition of Club Brugge in the Round of 16 having finished eighth in the Group Stage itself with 16 points from eight matches.
Forest are having a season to remember, as they are third in the table with 57 points from 30 matches, seeing them sit seven points above fifth-place Newcastle United and within grasp of a shock qualification for next season’s Champions League. This would be an extraordinary feat from Nuno Espírito Santo’s men, having finished the 2023/24 campaign in 17th-place.
The City Ground club have also qualified for the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they’ll take on Manchester City, after beating Brighton & Hove Albion, on penalties in the quarter-finals of that competition following a 0-0 draw at the Amex Stadium.
Premier League 
