Nottingham Forest have won just one of their last 15 league games against Aston Villa (D7 L7), a 2-1 home win in the Championship in February 2017.

Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last nine Premier Legue meetings with Nottingham Forest (W4 D5), since a 2-0 home loss in October 1994.

Nottingham Forest won two of their first four Premier League games this season (L2) but have since won none of their last six (D4 L2), their longest winless run since an 11-game stretch between February and April earlier this year.

Aston Villa have 22 points in 10 Premier League games so far this season (W7 D1 L2), their best start to a league season since 1998-99, when they also had 22 points at this stage (W6 D4). It’s also the first time they’ve had seven wins in their opening 10 top-flight games since 1953-54 (W7 L3).

Since the start of last season, Nottingham Forest have lost 10 of their 12 Premier League matches against sides starting the day in the top-five of the division (W1 D1). Their one such victory in this sequence was their 1-0 win over Arsenal in May.

Aston Villa have won 20 Premier League matches in 2023, with only Man City (25) winning more. They have only won more Premier League games in one calendar year, winning 21 in 1998.

Nottingham Forest lost three consecutive home Premier League matches in August and September 2022 but since then they have only suffered two defeats in 19 games at the City Ground (W8 D9). Since the start of last October, only Man City and Liverpool (one each) have fewer home Premier League defeats than Forest (2).

This game will be played one year since the weekend of Unai Emery’s first Premier League game in charge of Aston Villa, with the Villans winning 22 of their 35 games under him (D5 L8). It is more wins than the most recent two title-winning managers managed at their respective clubs in their first 35 games – 20 for Pep Guardiola at Man City and 16 for Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Aston Villa’s Moussa Diaby has been involved in six goals in 10 Premier League appearances so far (3 goals, 3 assists). Only four French players have ever scored or assisted more goals in their first 10 games: Eric Cantona (9), Dimitri Payet (8), Laurent Robert (8) and David Ginola (7).

Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga could make his 50th Premier League appearance in this game, with the 21-year-old the youngest Swedish player to hit that mark if he plays; Martin Olsson is the current youngest to 50 games (22 years, 271 days in 2011 with Blackburn). Elanga has five assists in his last eight home Premier League starts, including two last time out at the City Ground against Luton.