Aston Villa manager Unai Emery makes shock ‘rivals’ claim about Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa on Saturday, with the two sides becoming intertwined in the Premier League this season.

With Nottingham Forest beating Manchester United last Saturday, the club took their points tally to 25, which is exactly the same number as Villa.

Not only do the two clubs share the same number of points, but their seven wins, four draws and four defeats mean that Forest and Villa have secured these points in an identical fashion.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
4	Man CityManchester City	15	8	3	4	27	21	6	27
5	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	15	7	4	4	19	18	1	25
6	Aston VillaAston Villa	15	7	4	4	23	23	0	25

There may be little between the two sides, but Forest may have some advantages to work with. Leon Bailey is a doubt for Villa, whilst Villa’s wastefulness in front of goal could be exploited by Nuno Espirito Santo’s counterattacking style.

The similarities between the two sides have led to a surprise admission from Villa boss Unai Emery, who was discussing Forest in the press this week.

Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are now ‘rivals’ says Unai Emery

Full of praise for Forest’s start to the season, Emery said: “Forest are always a respectful team for us. They are now our rivals because they have the same points that we [Aston Villa] have.

“They are having an amazing, amazing season. Last season we played there [City Ground] in different circumstances and lost so I know the difficulties we are going to face tomorrow.”

Whilst both sides are situated in the midlands of England, there isn’t a traditional rivalry between the two whether historical or competitive.

For Espirito Santo and Forest, though, comments like these show the progress the team is making. To be considered a threat by one of the sides that qualified for the Champions League last season highlights that this brilliant start to the season isn’t just a blip.

Forest can exploit key weakness in Aston Villa on Saturday

To beat their self-proclaimed rivals, Espirito Santo and the Forest squad can use their home advantage to their benefit.

As Emery mentioned, Forest beat Aston Villa in the last meeting at the City Ground, which may play on the minds of a Villa side who have been far from convincing away from home this season.

After two away victories in August, Villa have only beaten Fulham on their travels, losing away at Tottenham and Chelsea in recent times.

They also lost at Anfield, which is extra significant given that Forest beat Liverpool away from home this season.

Meanwhile, Forest haven’t lost at home since September, giving them the perfect chance to take the points against Villa and create some breathing room in the race for European football.