Barkley To Start, Buendia On The Bench | 4-2-3-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup Vs Nottingham Forest
Barkley To Start, Buendia On The Bench | 4-2-3-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup Vs Nottingham Forest Aston Villa will face off against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground this Sunday afternoon as they look to secure a good result on the road in the Premier League. The Villans managed to earn an impressive 3-1 win over Bologna recently, which should keep them in good spirits going into this game. Unai Emery will set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and is expected to make one change to his first team for this Midlands derby.
Ross Barkley could play from the start of this game, while Emi Buendia makes way for him and drops to the bench. 4-2-3-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Nottingham Forest Defence Emiliano Martinez will operate in between the sticks for the Villans after shipping in one goal in his last outing. Pau Torres will play alongside Ezri Konsa at the centre of the Aston Villa backline as they focus on keeping a good shape at the back during the 90 minutes.
Matty Cash will hope to catch the eye as the right-back, while Lucas Digne looks to give a good account of himself on the other flank as the left-back. Both of them will have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack. Victor Lindelof and Tyrone Mings will provide cover for the defensive positions on the bench.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – APRIL 09: Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Leg One match between Bologna FC 1909 and Aston Villa FC at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on April 09, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) Midfield Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana will operate as the holding midfielders as they look to win the 50-50 battles at the centre of the park and engineer some decent chances in the final third. The gifted trio of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn will play just ahead of them as part of Emery’s attack.
All three of them need to combine well in and around the Nottingham penalty box if the Villans are to come out on top in this Midlands derby. Lamare Bogarde, Douglas Luiz and Emi Buendia will have to settle for a place on the bench and might come on to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if required. Attack Ollie Watkins will lead the charge for the West Midlands club in the final third.