🏏 Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:00 BST
Aston Villa
vs
Nottingham Forest
4-2-3-1 vs 3-4-2-1
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- Neither side has won a match this season. Villa sit 17th on one point from a draw and two defeats with a goal difference of -5, while Forest are 16th on two points from two draws and a loss at -1. Manchester City already lead the table on nine points, so both clubs are looking at an eight-point gap after just three rounds.
- Villa have yet to score a single Premier League goal this season. They were beaten 4-0 at Brighton on the opening weekend, lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal, and then played out a goalless draw away at Hull City. Zero goals for and five against tells the story of a side that has to find an attacking spark from somewhere.
- Forest's campaign has followed a different pattern: a 1-0 home defeat to Leeds, a 2-2 draw at Anfield against Liverpool, and a 0-0 at home to Tottenham. Both of their goals this season came in that single trip to Liverpool, so while they are unbeaten in two, the scoring has dried up entirely.
- Japan's first-choice goalkeeper Zion Suzuki starts between the posts for Villa. The 24-year-old stands 190cm, came through Urawa Red Diamonds before a spell at Parma in Serie A, and is known for his reflexes and command of high balls. Four of Villa's five goals conceded came in the Brighton rout; he kept a clean sheet at Hull in round three.
- The shape battle is intriguing: Villa's 4-2-3-1 against Forest's 3-4-2-1. Boubacar Kamara, the Marseille-raised France international who debuted for his boyhood club at 17, partners 32-year-old Ross Barkley in a double pivot, with Emiliano Buendia in the number ten role and John McGinn alongside. Forest's two shadow strikers, Morgan Gibbs-White and James McAtee, will look to occupy the channels either side of that pivot.
- Up front it is a meeting of two former Chelsea centre-forwards. Nicolas Jackson, 25, joined via Villarreal and Chelsea and has 32 caps and eight goals for Senegal. Liam Delap, 23, came through the Manchester City academy, broke through at Ipswich and moved to Chelsea for £30m. Both build their game around physical hold-up play and runs in behind.
- The flanks should decide plenty. Neco Williams, the Liverpool-academy Wales international with a Champions League winner's medal, takes the left wing-back berth against Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whose one-on-one defending and tackle success rate rank among the league's best. On the other side, Colombia's Daniel Munoz, who made 148 appearances at Genk before Crystal Palace, faces Ian Maatsen, a Champions League finalist during his loan at Borussia Dortmund.
- The defensive units are built differently. Villa pair 192cm left-footed Spain international Pau Torres with Victor Lindelof, the 32-year-old Sweden centre-back who spent years as a Manchester United regular, favouring composure and long-range distribution. Forest's back three is anchored by 24-year-old Murillo, the left-footed Corinthians product, and 22-year-old Ivory Coast international Ousmane Diomande, both built on pace and front-foot duels.
- Both benches carry serious weight. Villa can call on Johan Manzambi, the 20-year-old Switzerland international signed from Freiburg for a club-record £59.5m, 18-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye, who set PSG's youngest-ever starter record at 16 years and six months, and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United. Forest counter with 191cm New Zealand captain Chris Wood and Igor Jesus, a Copa Libertadores winner with Botafogo.
- Villa hand a start to 19-year-old academy midfielder George Hemmings, whose game is built on retention and passing after a steady climb through the U-21s. Opposite him sits Xaver Schlager, the Austria holding midfielder with 51 caps and four goals who has passed through Salzburg, Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig. That contrast in age and mileage will shape who controls the middle.