Something has to give when Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, two sides enjoying hugely successful, overachieving seasons in their own right, face off at Villa Park on Saturday.
WATCH LIVE – Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
For Aston Villa (7th - 48 points), it's a matter of showing up and showing on a multiple fronts, most notably in the UEFA Champions League where they find themselves up against PSG in the quarterfinals next week. Their continental success hasn't come at the expense of domestic endeavors, though, as Unai Emery's side is also in the semifinal of the FA Cup (vs Crystal Palace later this month) and within three points of qualifying for next season's Champions League via the Premier League. Wednesday's 3-0 victory over Brighton was spearheaded by three attackers signed in January, as Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen each scored and sent Villa a place and a point above the Seagulls in the table.
At the same time, there probably isn't a better story in all of sports than Nottingham Forest (57 points), who sit 3rd after 30 games as they inch closer to Europe's premier competition for the first time in 45 years. The Tricky Trees came out of nowhere after they were nearly relegated, with just 18 victories combined in their first two seasons back in the top flight. Already this season, Nuno Espirito Santo's side has won 17 times. The same goes for clean sheets — Forest's 13 are joint-most in PL this season, and one more than the last two season combined — and perhaps also total points by season's end (13 more to reach 70).
How to watch Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12:30 pm ET Saturday
Venue: Villa Park — Birmingham
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
Aston Villa team news
OUT: Ross Barkley (calf) | QUESTIONABLE: Leon Bailey (knock)
Nottingham Forest team news
QUESTIONABLE: Chris Wood (hip), Ola Aina (calf), Callum Hudson-Odoi (personal)
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest prediction
Both sides had a relatively easy time in their midweek victories, but Forest could be shorthanded and missing a spark in attack if Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi are once again unavailable. Villa are plenty susceptible to falling into their trap, but the firepower on hand makes them too tough to pick against. Aston Villa 2-0 Nottingham Forest.
