Jamie Carragher predicts Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest in Premier League
Aston Villa face Nottingham Forest in a crucial clash in the race for Champions League football on Saturday evening.
Unai Emery‘s side are currently seventh in the Premier League but could close the gap to Chelsea and Manchester City with a win, if other results go their way.
With five teams potentially securing berths in Europe’s premier competition, the Villans could very well be set for another season at the elite level if they finish the season strongly.
Jamie Carragher predicts Aston Villa to triumph v Nottingham Forest
The fact that Emery’s side are even in contention for a Champions League qualification spot is remarkable considering their poor form at the start of the year.
However, the B6 outfit have turned it around and have won three of their last four league matches to be within just three points of Pep Guardiola’s side.
Carragher believes that Villa will triumph and continue their push towards a second successive season in the competition.
Making his prediction for Sky’s Super 6, he said: Villa vs Forest is a huge game for both, but I think home advantage will just edge it for Villa.”
Emery needs Villa Park to be a fortress
With eight matches left, the Villans have four matches to play at home and four on the road before the season comes to a conclusion.
If they are to secure Champions League football again, they need Villa Park to be a fortress with fixtures against Forest, Newcastle, Fulham and Tottenham in front of their fans.
| Stats (Premier League) | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
| Home | 7 | 7 | 1 | 28 |
| Away | 6 | 2 | 7 | 20 |
With the exception of Spurs, who are underperforming this season and find themselves in 14th, those teams are all fighting for European qualification and will not be easy matches by any means.
They have only lost one home match all season but if they miss out, they will look back on the seven draws with regret.
Their away record is a bit more concerning. Emery’s side has won just six of 15 games on the road, drawing two and losing seven, taking just 20 points.
With fixtures against Southampton, Man City, Bournemouth and Manchester United, they will fancy their chances of improving that record and securing a top five berth if they can win the majority of their home matches.