Premier League 2025/26: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Preview, Prediction, TV channels, Live Score & Lineups
Fifth-placed Aston Villa hosts fourteenth-placed Nottingham Forest in a high-stakes Midlands battle. Villa seeks to break into the Champions League spots, while Forest aims to distance themselves from the relegation scrap.
Kick Off Time?
Competition (round): Premier League (Matchweek 21)
Kick-off (GMT): 12:30, Saturday, 3 January 2026
Stadium, location: Villa Park, Birmingham, England
Match Facts
Aston Villa enters the new year just one point behind the top four. Unai Emery’s side has turned Villa Park into a fortress, losing only twice at home during the first half of the season.
Nottingham Forest currently sits in 14th place. While they are six points clear of the drop zone, their away form has been poor, failing to secure a win in their last five road trips.
Villa’s star striker has a prolific record against Forest, scoring in three of the last four meetings between these two sides.
The game will be decided in the center of the park, where Villa’s Youri Tielemans faces off against Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.
The reverse fixture earlier this season ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw at the City Ground, suggesting a highly competitive encounter despite the gap in the league table.
Prediction of AI
Based on home advantage and recent momentum, the AI predicts a 2-0 victory for Aston Villa.
While Nottingham Forest is capable of a disciplined defensive performance, Villa's tactical flexibility and attacking depth are expected to be too strong over 90 minutes. A clean sheet for the hosts is highly probable given Forest’s recent struggles to find the net away from home.
How to Watch Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest in the UK and US?
In the UK: The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. Subscibers can also stream the game via the Discovery+ app.
In the US: Viewers can watch the game on the USA Network (English) and Telemundo (Spanish). Streaming is available through Sling TV, Fubo, and the NBC Sports app.
TV Channel and Live Stream: You can also follow Xscore808 live updates for other countries.
