Analysis: Good start to a key weekpublished at 20:37 BST
20:37 BST
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Forest are unbeaten in their past five games in all competitions as Vitor Pereira looks to steer them away from trouble.
With a three-point cushion to the relegation zone, survival is in their hands - especially with the visit of second-bottom Burnley to the City Ground next Sunday.
Four points from home games against Champions League-chasing Aston Villa and fellow strugglers Burnley would represent a crucial return in the fight against the drop.
They are battling for it and rode their luck against Villa - with Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins missing superb openings - but it is another point on the board.
Pereira's decision to rest a number of senior players for the midweek Europa League draw at Porto also paid off, and with Chris Wood making his return after six months out injured this week the momentum is with Forest.
Premier League survival is the priority - Pereira saying it would be a "disaster" if Forest were to be relegated - but in a week which will define their season they have made a positive start.
Porto visit in the Europa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday, and come Sunday evening Forest could be almost safe and into a European semi-final.
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa: What Pereira and Williams saidpublished at 16:48 BST
16:48 BST
Media caption,
Nottingham Forest manger Vitor Pereira has been speaking to Sky Sports following the draw: "It was a good point, in a difficult game, against a very difficult opponent. There were opportunities from one side and opportunities form the other. In the end, I think one point is a good result.
"Aston Villa are a team that's not easy to control. They create some problems, but you try to face the problems and create your own chances. After the goal, it is about the character, confidence and spirit. We scored our goal and we had chances to score more goals, as did they.
"When we decided to bring on another striker, we wanted to win the game. Three points would've been better than one. We tried, but facing a strong team means in the end we have come away five games without losing.
"We are heading in the right way with the right spirit. It is important to get points in every game until the end of the season. We need to look [only at] ourselves and try to do our best to get points."
On Chris Wood's return: "His experience, quality and goals are important. He smells the goals in the box. He has the ability to help us."
Nottingham Forest goalscorer Neco Williams also spoke to Sky Sports: "We are pleased. Every point at this stage of the season is so valuable. We wanted three points, but Aston Villa are a top side. It is an important point.
"We knew we had to get the second goal and we did. We stuck together, it was a proper team performance and it was important to stick at it."
On relegation rivals Tottenham losing to Sunderland: "You don't want to look at the table too much because you want to focus on yourself. It's hard not to with the position we're in. Every game is a cup final for us. Every point is so important."
Five of Nottingham Forest's six Premier League home games in 2026 have ended level (L1). In fact, they have drawn more home games than any other team in the division this year (5).
Since the start of 2023-24, Murillo has scored the joint-most own goals of any player in the Premier League (3 - level with Marc Guehi and Konstantinos Mavropanos).
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa: Team newspublished at 13:14 BST
13:14 BST
Image source, BBC Sport
Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira makes nine changes to the side which drew 1-1 in their Europa League quarter-final first leg at Porto on Thursday.
Morgan Gibbs-White and Murillo remain from the draw in Portugal while Elliot Anderson returns after missing the game through suspension.
Striker Chris Wood is on the bench having made his comeback after six months out in the week.
Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Sangare, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Hutchinson, Igor Jesus
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Tottenham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Manchester City".
Sutton's predictions: Nottingham Forest v Aston Villapublished at 10:14 BST
10:14 BST
Both of these teams played in Europe on Thursday night, but they will surely have at least half an eye on this game because it is so important at the top and bottom of the table.
At the top, Aston Villa are in the Champions League places and have a six-point cushion over sixth-placed Chelsea with seven games to go.
They beat West Ham United in their last game, after losing three in a row, and they would dearly love to hit a bit of form now.
Nottingham Forest got a massive win over relegation rivals Tottenham last time out, but they still have a lot of work to do to stay up.
It's a big boost that Chris Wood is back after six months out, but the 'Wood-chopper' will be rusty and it might be a while before he is back in the swing of things. I've chopped a lot of wood over the years and I know if your axe is left in the shed for a while, it loses its sharpness.
This is going to be an extremely tight game. A win would be huge for either team, but I'm going to say they will both have to settle for a single point.
Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 13:03 BST 11 April
13:03 BST 11 April
Jordan Butler BBC Sport journalist
Two potential Europa League winners meet in the top flight this weekend as Aston Villa make the short trip to face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes.
Both sides have been straddling European endeavours with domestic duties this season and both will likely suffer from fatigue having each played tricky ties on the continent on Thursday.
Forest finding form
Europe has provided a welcome distraction from the Premier League for Nottingham Forest for most of this campaign but, under Vitor Pereira, they seem to be finding form at the perfect time.
Forest sit three points above the relegation places with seven games remaining but they have taken four points from the past two league games, including a huge 3-0 victory at relegation rivals Spurs in their last outing.
A creditable draw in Porto on Thursday night with a much-changed side extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to four matches and Pereira seems to be striking the necessary balance between European progression and Premier League survival.
A total of 36 points has been enough to guarantee survival in each of the past nine Premier League seasons and if that trend continues in 2025-26, the Tricky Trees require only four more points from their seven remaining matches.
One thing Pereira is yet to address is Forest's poor home run – they are winless in seven league outings in front of their own fans (D4, L3) and they have failed to score in each of their past three matches at the City Ground. Their last home league win was in 2025, 119 days ago versus Spurs.
Villa's recent struggles at Forest
Aston Villa resume their league campaign against a side they have historically enjoyed the upper hand against in the Premier League era.
The Villans have lost only three of their 17 Premier League meetings with Forest (W9, D5), however, two of those defeats have come at the City Ground in recent seasons and they have not won a top-flight match there since January 1995.
Villa will draw confidence from their 3-1 victory at Bologna in midweek. It was their third win on the bounce in all competitions and the club's eighth in succession in the Europa League this season, with Unai Emery's side putting one foot firmly in the semi-finals - where they could potentially meet Forest again at the end of April.
Ollie Watkins has seemingly responded to his recent England snub by finding his shooting boots and he has now contributed four goals in four starts across all competitions. Incidentally, his two goals on Thursday in northern Italy were his eighth and ninth Villa goals in a major European competition, equalling the club record first set by Peter Withe and matched by John McGinn.
Image source, Getty Images
