Nottingham Forest take on Aston Villa at the City Ground in an important Premier League clash this afternoon
14:03, 12 Apr 2026Updated 14:04, 12 Apr 2026
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez
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Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez(Image: Getty)
Nottingham Forest have been handed a boost ahead of kick-off against Aston Villa in a key Premier League clash at the City Ground.
Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez has pulled out of the visitors’ line-up. The Argentine has apparently sustained an injury during the warm-up and will be replaced by Marco Bizot in the XI.
With seven games to go, the Reds' position in the top flight table remains a precarious one. They are above the dreaded dotted line, as things stand, but it is incredibly tight in the battle to avoid relegation.
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West Ham United moved level on points with Forest courtesy of their victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday. Tottenham Hotspur are two points behind the two clubs while Leeds United are on point ahead.
The Reds returned to action after the international break with a 1-1 draw away to Porto on Thursday night. That stalemate in Portugal leaves them in with a chance of making the semi-finals of the Europa League, with the return fixture taking place Trentside next week.
Indeed, Forest have a run of three successive home games - starting this afternoon - which could determine how the season pans out. After hosting Villa and Porto, Burnley will visit the City Ground next weekend in another huge match at the bottom end of the table.
Balancing the two competitions continues to be a challenge for head coach Vitor Pereira. He rested several key men in midweek and utilised a number of fringe players at the Estadio do Dragao.
The Reds boss has made nine changes to his starting XI from Thursday night. Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White are the only players to keep their places in the line-up.
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Murillo will partner Nikola Milenkovic in the centre of the defence. Ola Aina and Neco Williams will make up the back four ahead of goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson will make up the midfield. Omari Hutchinson and Callum Hudson-Odoi will join Gibbs-White in providing attacking support for front man Igor Jesus.
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Striker Chris Wood made his comeback after six months on the sidelines with a knee injury in midweek. He is on the bench this time, along with Stefan Ortega, Morato, Dan Ndoye, Nicolas Dominguez, Ryan Yates, James McAtee, Luca Netz and Dilane Bakwa.
Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus. Subs: Ortega, Morato, Wood, Ndoye, Dominguez, Yates, McAtee, Netz, Bakwa.
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