The 2024-25 Champions League hopefuls meet the 2025-26 Champions League hopefuls in Saturday’s intriguing Premier League tie, as Aston Villa welcome Nottingham Forest to the City Ground.
Unai Emery‘s side – who are still competing on three fronts as they chase Champions League and FA Cup glory too – come into the 5.30pm kickoff on the back of a brilliant 3-0 victory away to Brighton & Hove Albion in gameweek 30.
Meanwhile, Forest were also triumphant in a 1-0 win over Manchester United, a result that strengthened their hold on third place in the Premier League table and kept them four points below Arsenal in second.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.
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Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 133
Aston Villa wins: 62
Draws: 31
Nott’m Forest wins: 40
A historically momentous fixture, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest met for the very first time all the way back in the 1880-81 FA Cup, where the Lions clinched a 2-1 win in the second round of the tournament.
That triumph represents one of 62 that the Villans have managed over Nottingham Forest, who boast significantly fewer victories with 40 to their name, while 31 of their other 133 battles have ended honours even.
While Villa boast the overall bragging rights against Nottingham Forest, the Tricky Trees have recently enjoyed the better of this battle, beating Unai Emery’s side twice in their last three head-to-heads.
Nuno Espirito Santo‘s men were on course to go down at the City Ground in December 2024, but a dramatic late turnaround saw Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga cancel out Jhon Duran‘s opening strike, making it back-to-back home wins after a 2-0 success in the 2023-24 season.
However, Villa prevailed in a six-goal thriller 4-2 on their own patch in February 2024, thus extending their unbeaten home run over Forest to eight games in all competitions, a sequence that includes an extraordinary 5-5 Championship draw in November 2018.
Tammy Abraham scored a fabulous four goals in that 10-goal spectacular, where Villa came from 2-0 down and let a 5-4 lead slip, but it has nevertheless been over 30 years since the Lions lost at home to Nottingham Forest.
Indeed, the Tricky Trees last prevailed at Villa Park all the way back in October 1994, but Nottingham Forest can proudly show off the most emphatic win in this fixture, a 6-0 First Division drubbing back in September 1986.
In contrast, Aston Villa are yet to beat Nottingham Forest by five goals or more, although they have prevailed by four goals on five separate occasions, including an enthralling 7-3 victory in December 1903.
Last 20 meetings
Dec 14, 2024: Nott’m Forest 2-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Feb 24, 2024: Aston Villa 4-2 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Nov 05, 2023: Nott’m Forest 2-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Apr 08, 2023: Aston Villa 2-0 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Oct 10, 2022: Nott’m Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Mar 13, 2019: Nott’m Forest 1-3 Aston Villa (Championship)
Nov 28, 2018: Aston Villa 5-5 Nott’m Forest (Championship)
Jan 13, 2018: Nott’m Forest 0-1 Aston Villa (Championship)
Sep 23, 2017: Aston Villa 2-1 Nott’m Forest (Championship)
Feb 04, 2017: Nott’m Forest 2-1 Aston Villa (Championship)
Sep 11, 2016: Aston Villa 2-2 Nott’m Forest (Championship)
Apr 24, 1999: Aston Villa 2-0 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Nov 28, 1998: Nott’m Forest 2-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Feb 22, 1997: Nott’m Forest 0-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Nov 02, 1996: Aston Villa 2-0 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Mar 13, 1996: Nott’m Forest 0-1 Aston Villa (FA Cup Quarter-Finals)
Dec 10, 1995: Nott’m Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Sep 23, 1995: Aston Villa 1-1 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Jan 21, 1995: Nott’m Forest 1-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Oct 22, 1994: Aston Villa 0-2 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Last 10 Premier League meetings
Dec 14, 2024: Nott’m Forest 2-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Feb 24, 2024: Aston Villa 4-2 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Nov 05, 2023: Nott’m Forest 2-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Apr 08, 2023: Aston Villa 2-0 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Oct 10, 2022: Nott’m Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Apr 24, 1999: Aston Villa 2-0 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Nov 28, 1998: Nott’m Forest 2-2 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Feb 22, 1997: Nott’m Forest 0-0 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Nov 02, 1996: Aston Villa 2-0 Nott’m Forest (Premier League)
Dec 10, 1995: Nott’m Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)
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