Aston Villa predicted line-up vs Nottingham Forest: Three changes made including big Cash and McGinn calls

Aston Villa take on Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon to start 2026. They lost 4-1 away at Arsenal last time out at the Emirates Stadium. Striker Ollie Watkins managed to get himself on the scoresheet again against the Gunners.

Unai Emery’s side are positioned in 3rd place in the Premier League table after 19 fixtures. The Midlands club are nine points inside the top four ahead of Chelsea. Here is a look at their predicted line-up ahead of this weekend:

Aston Villa predicted XI vs Nottingham Forest: goalkeeper and defence

GK: Emi Martinez: Aston Villa’s number one endured a difficult night against his former club Arsenal in their last game. He made a mistake for the Gunners’ first goal after failing to catch the ball from a corner. Summer recruit Marco Bizot provides back-up from the bench.

RB: Matty Cash: The right-back is back from suspension and is set to be thrown straight back into the starting XI. He joined his current club from Nottingham Forest back in 2020 and hasn’t looked back since as he prepares to face his ex-employers. Lamare Bogarde took his place in the last match.

CB: Ezri Konsa: It has been an impressive season for the centre-back for both club and country. Other teams could start sniffing around him in the near future with the way things are going. He will be looking to get into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup later this year.

CB: Victor Lindelof: Aston Villa signed the defender ahead of this campaign following his exit from Manchester United. He was snapped up to add more competition and depth to their defensive department. The Sweden international has been getting a run in the team with Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres injured.

LB: Ian Maatsen: Emery has a decision to make between Maatsen and Lucas Digne. It seems more likely that he will go with the former against Nottingham Forest. The 23-year-old has made 19 outings this term and has scored once from the back.

Aston Villa predicted XI vs Nottingham Forest: midfield and attack

CM: Boubakar Kamara: Like Cash, Aston Villa midfielder Kamara also served a suspension against Arsenal after accumulating too many yellow cards. He is now available again and is poised to come straight back in against Nottingham Forest. His team missed his influence in the middle of the park against the Gunners.

CM: Amadou Onana: He was signed from Everton in 2024 and initially took time to settle in. The Belgian has properly found his feet now and is a key player. Prior to his transfer to England, he had spells in Europe with the likes of Hoffenheim, Hamburg and Lille.

RW: John McGinn: It wouldn’t be a surprise to see McGinn come in for Jadon Sancho for this one. He came off the bench against the Gunners and injects energy into Emery’s team. The Scotsman was rewarded with a contract extension a couple of months ago.

CAM: Youri Tielemans: Kamara’s return could see Aston Villa push Tielemans into a more attacking role. They have tended to rotate over recent weeks so Emi Buendia may be dropped to the substitutes. Tielemans injects quality into their ranks and is now an experienced operator.

LW: Morgan Rogers: On his day, Rogers is as good as anyone in the league. His pace and power causes problems to opposition defenders and he will be feeling confident at the moment. He scored twice against Manchester United in their last home outing.

ST: Ollie Watkins: He will be eager to add to his tally for Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest. The striker is starting to hit form again and will be in good spirits. Emery could do with some more competition and depth up top now the January transfer window is open for business.