Aston Villa are technically placed below Nottingham Forest on the table due to a marginally worse goal difference (23:23). In the Champions League, they have nearly secured their playoff spot, but will their midweek fixture take its toll come Saturday?
Nottingham Forest are ruthless when given an opportunity, as demonstrated against Manchester United (3:2), especially with the second goal where Morgan Gibbs-White smashed a shot past André Onana. Matches involving Nottingham Forest almost invariably surpass the total over 2.5 goals, missing the mark in only one of their last seven outings.
Aston Villa also put on a five-goal spectacle during their Tuesday clash with RB Leipzig (3:2), with their two goals ruled out. They occasionally falter, like in goalless draws with Juventus or narrow 1:0 wins against Southampton, but overwhelmingly, their last 10 games across all competitions favoured total over 2.5 goals (in six out of ten).
Recalling Aston Villa's recent match in Germany, it's hard to overlook Emiliano Martínez's error, as he ventured far from his goal once again, resulting in yet another goal from his misstep. Remember, Nottingham Forest are unforgiving when it comes to mistakes. With Chris Wood, they pose a constant threat, making a total over 2.5 goals a likely outcome.
