Despite their current poor form, Nottingham Forest can move out of the relegation zone with a win against Aston Villa on Monday night.
A 4-0 defeat to Leicester City in Forest's last outing made it five defeats on the bounce for Steve Cooper’s side. The loss also saw Leicester move off the bottom spot, leaving the Reds 20th in the Premier League table.
After their stunning summer transfer window, it’s not the start Forest or Cooper would’ve expected, but they can attempt to get their season back on track against Villa. Steven Gerrard’s side hasn’t had the greatest start to the season, but they’re currently on a three-game unbeaten run.
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Moussa Niakhate and Omar Richards are set to be sidelined again for Forest, with the latter closer to a return. Orel Mangala may be in contention to start, whilst it remains unknown as to whether Cooper will set up in his usual three at the back or stick with the four at the back used at Leicester.
So, could Forest end their losing streak against Aston Villa on Monday night? We simulated the game to predict the outcome. To run this simulation, we used FIFA 23, updating the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa score predicted by simulation
We predict that Nottingham Forest will line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with the line-up looking as follows: Henderson; Worrall, Cook, McKenna; Williams, Yates, O'Brien, Lodi; Gibbs-White; Johnson, Awoniyi.
We predict that Villa will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with the line-up looking as follows: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Bednarek; McGinn, Luiz, Ramsey; Buendia, Watkins, Coutinho.
The game started with Aston Villa creating the majority of chances, with the visitors unlucky not to be ahead after missing some big opportunities early on. But, the early goal did come, with Jacob Ramsey handing his side the lead.
Ramsey advanced forward from midfield to latch onto a through ball, with the midfielder looking to take aim from just outside the box. His effort was weak and straight at Dean Henderson, but a mistake from the 'keeper allowed the ball to fly through his legs and into the net.
Things went from bad to worse for Forest on the 20-minute mark when John McGinn doubled Villa's lead, with the midfielder taking on Ollie Watkins' pass and firing into the bottom corner from close range. Emmanuel Dennis was introduced from the bench in the second half, and the striker made an instant impact as he pulled a goal out of nowhere for Forest.
Dennis made a darting run away from goal to find some space, and the striker was found by fellow substitute Jesse Lingard just inside the box. The Nigerian striker allowed the ball to roll into his path before firing a powerful effort across the 'keeper and into the far corner.
Dennis' impact was sensational, and all of a sudden the game was tilted in Forest's favour. Cooper's side continued to push forward, and just four minutes after his first, Dennis scored again to draw the game level.
In a nearly identical situation, Lingard picked out Dennis on the right side of the box, but his through ball was a little overhit. The Nigerian international latched onto the pass as he approached the byline, and the striker let off a rocket, firing a fantastic strike across goal from a tight angle to level the score.
Neither team could find a winner as Forest claimed a vital point against what would be a frustrated Villa side.
Full-time: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Aston Villa
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that despite Aston Villa's dominance in the first half, they couldn't hold on as Forest fought back to earn a well-earned point at the City Ground. The introduction of Dennis in the second half shifted the game into Forest's favour in the simulation as the striker helped end Cooper's losing streak with a great cameo off the bench.
What do you think the score could be on Friday evening? Let us know in the comments below!
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