Unai Emery believes his Aston Villa side are in a strong position in their process as a team after putting one foot into the Champions League knockout stages with their win over RB Leipzig.
Villa have won each of their last three games in all competitions, after winning just three of their previous 13 matches (D5 L5), moving them up to third in the new 36-team standings.
The Villans know a victory against either Monaco or Celtic in their final two games in the Champions League will see them finish in the automatic positions in the table.
And while the win pleased Emery, his immediate focus was on Villa’s upcoming trip to the City Ground this Saturday to take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
"Sometimes a spell of bad results is coming. Sometimes good results now, with the three victories, two in the league and one today, can help us to feel confident and strong in our process," Emery said.
"Today we are happy, but now I’m thinking about Saturday against Nottingham Forest and trying to recover quickly the players that played today and to get the others ready."
Tuesday’s match-winner Ross Barkley echoed his manager’s thoughts, saying: "Important, we needed that win. It pushes us higher up the table, and we’ve done really well in the Champions League.
"One game at a time, we’ve got to try and win the games. That’s our focus, that’s our aim, to get through, and now our eyes are on the game at the weekend."
But Forest are coming down from a high of their own after earning back-to-back victories against Manchester United for the first time since 1992 with their 3-2 win at Old Trafford.
After picking up just one triumph in four league games heading into Saturday’s game, Forest got themselves back on track and moved up to fifth in the Premier League table.
Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo understood the magnitude of the victory and urged supporters to enjoy it, insisting their latest win is only the start of where he wants to take the club.
"It means a lot for us as a club. Forest is a huge club that hasn’t had special moments like this for a long time. We should celebrate and be proud of this," Nuno said.
"Me, I think about Villa. Let the fans celebrate, now we will start to prepare for the next one.
"But I’m very proud of being part of this group of players and the squad. We are trying to do something together and build something nice."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood
Wood is one of only four players to score 10+ Premier League goals this season, with only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland (both 13) and Cole Palmer (11) scoring more than the New Zealander.
He is also the first Forest player to score 10 Premier League goals in a campaign before Christmas, while he’s the first Forest player to do so in a league term since Lewis Grabban in the Championship back in 2021-22.
Aston Villa – Jhon Duran
Duran, who turns 21 the day before Villa’s trip to the City Ground, has scored 10 Premier League goals for the Villans, netting the winner in four of their seven wins this season.
He’s one of three players to score 10 goals for Villa before turning 21, along with Gabriel Agbonlahor (13) and Luke Moore (11).
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
This will be Forest’s 5,000th match in the top four tiers of English football, the 12th side to reach that milestone in English Football League history.
However, Saturday’s hosts have won just one of their last 11 Premier League games against Villa (D5 L5), though it was a 2-0 victory in this exact fixture last season.
But they have turned the City Ground into a fortress. Forest have won three of their last four home games in the Premier League (L1), as many as their previous 17 beforehand (W3 D4 L10).
Villa, meanwhile, are winless in their last five top-flight away games against Forest, though four of these have ended level. Their last such victory was in January 1995 under Brian Little (2-1).
The Villans have lost each of their last three away league games, their longest such run since losing four in a row from May to August 2022. All three defeats in their current spell have been by 2+ goals – they last lost more in succession by such a margin on the road in the league in September 1968 as a second-tier side (five).
Villa also won seven of their first 12 Premier League games under Emery against teams starting the day in the top five of the table (D1 L4) but have since lost five of their last seven (W1 D1), including all three this season, by an aggregate score of 7-0.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nottingham Forest – 36.2%
Draw – 26.2%
Aston Villa – 37.6%
Man City victory can be 'new beginning' for Juventus, says Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic believes Juventus' 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester City can mark "a new beginning" for the Serie A giants.
Vlahovic headed in the opener early in the second half before Weston McKennie's volley sealed a memorable victory for the Bianconeri, who inflicted a seventh loss in the space of 10 games in all competitions on Man City.
Juve are now unbeaten in six straight meetings with City (four wins, two draws), with this the Citizens' longest winless run against a European opponent.
Thiago Motta's side – who are unbeaten in Serie A but have drawn nine of 15 league games – are now up to 14th in the Champions League table, with City down in 22nd.
Motta's side attracted renewed criticism following their 2-2 draw with Bologna on Saturday, but Vlahovic hopes Wednesday's win can help them build some momentum.
"The whole team put in an outstanding performance. We prepared for the match in detail and put our plan into action perfectly," Vlahovic said after the game.
"It's a great result and gives us a big boost for the future. I had a bit of luck for my goal, but what counts is that the ball went in. I want to continue like this.
"We talked among ourselves after the Bologna game and decided that we cannot afford to wait for a slap in the face to react.
"The challenge against City was always going to be tough, but we have to approach the other games with the same intensity.
"We are a young team, and we lack some experience, but here at Juventus there is no time to lose. Hopefully this match will mark a new beginning."
City more than doubled Juventus' tallies for touches in the box (34 to 13) and final-third entries (59 to 24), but they only narrowly edged the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.26 to 1.13, with 0.57 of their total coming from two Erling Haaland chances.
Haaland has had more big chances (12) than any other player in the Champions League this season but has only converted four of those (33%).
Juve midfielder Manuel Locatelli hailed his team-mates for the way they handled the City striker, saying: "Haaland is an extraordinary striker, one lapse in concentration and he punishes you.
"The whole team defended perfectly. We achieved a great victory, an impressive feat against a very strong team, led by the best coach in the world.
"This is a victory from the heart, we played with a real fire inside us. In the league we dropped points through avoidable mistakes, but we deserved a night like this. Now we must continue with this team spirit, always sacrificing for the result."
Women's Super League predictions: Leicester need Christmas miracle against rampant Chelsea
This weekend marks the final Women's Super League matchday before the winter break.
Chelsea will look to cement their perfect start at the top of the table when they visit Leicester City on Saturday, having won all 14 of their matches under Sonia Bompastor in all competitions.
The Blues already lead Manchester City by five points, and Gareth Taylor's challengers could find themselves further adrift by the time they visit Everton on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Arsenal will defend their unbeaten record under interim coach Renee Slegers at Liverpool, while bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace host Manchester United.
Surprise package Brighton and Hove Albion, meanwhile, will attempt to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to Chelsea when they welcome Tottenham to Broadfield Stadium.
But who will come out on top in this weekend's matches? We turned to the trusty Opta supercomputer to get its matchday 10 predictions.
LEICESTER V CHELSEA
Bompastor has already made the best start by any WSL coach in the competition's history, and Chelsea could become the first team to ever win their first 10 games of a season when they visit Leicester for Saturday's early kick-off at the King Power Stadium.
Chelsea have got an exceptional record against the Foxes, who have lost each of the teams' previous six WSL meetings, averaging over six goals conceded per game across the last five (32 conceded – 6.4 per game).
With Chelsea already netting 30 times in nine games, there could be goals, goals and more goals in this one. Leicester should be particularly wary of Aggie Beever-Jones, who has now scored 17 goals in the WSL – only Lauren Hemp (31), Georgia Stanway (29) and Beth Mead (18) have netted more in the competition before turning 22.
Chelsea have made a habit of starting strongly this term, opening the scoring in all nine of their WSL matches. They have won 43 of their last 44 league games after going 1-0 up, the exception being a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool in May.
The Foxes have struggled in front of goal this season, failing to score in more games than any other team in the WSL (seven). Only one team has ever scored fewer goals through nine matches of a WSL campaign than the Foxes’ two this term (Yeovil Town, 0 in 2017-18).
Chelsea are overwhelming favourites for this one and the Opta Supercomputer gives them 83.1% chance of victory, with 9.3% of match simulations ending level. Leicester may need a Christmas miracle to earn three points, being assigned just a 7.6% win probability.
BRIGHTON V TOTTENHAM
Brighton will look to get back to winning ways after putting up a valiant effort against Chelsea in their last league game. The Seagulls will also want to remain among the chasing pack and a win would lift them to third ahead of Sunday's matches.
However, Brighton have failed to win any of their last five WSL meetings with Tottenham (two draws, three losses), since a 2-1 home win in October 2021 under Hope Powell.
They have enjoyed a terrific start to the season, though, particularly at home. Brighton are unbeaten on their own turf in the WSL in 2024-25, winning four of their five matches (one draw) – as many wins as they recorded in their previous 25 such games (four draws, 17 defeats).
There could be drama in this one as nine of the total 13 penalties awarded in the WSL this term have come in games involving either Brighton (two for, two against) or Spurs (two for, three against). Both sides, meanwhile, boast plenty of attacking ammunition.
Kiko Seike is Brighton’s leading scorer in the WSL this season, netting five times from just 15 shots to register the best conversion rate of any player to net three or more times (33%).
Meanwhile, only Mead and Khadija Shaw (eight apiece) have scored more WSL goals against Brighton than Spurs’ Beth England (seven), who is now just three goals away from levelling Vivianne Miedema at the top of the all-time WSL scoring charts.
The Opta supercomputer makes Brighton slight favourites with a 43.1% win probability, with Spurs given a 30.2% chance and 26.7% of simulations finishing all square.
EVERTON V MAN CITY
Merseyside is a very happy hunting ground for Manchester City and they will be looking forward to travelling to Walton Hall Park for Sunday's first match.
City have won more away WSL games against Everton (eight) than any other team, while they have only netted more times on the road against Brighton and Bristol City (both 25) than versus the Toffees (24).
The Citizens are firm favourites with the supercomputer, winning 73.8% of match simulations to Everton's 11.5%, with 14.5% finishing level.
Everton’s only league win this season came in their most recent home game against Liverpool; they could now win back-to-back home WSL matches for the first time since January 2023.
City, meanwhile, have dropped points in two of their last four away games (2-2 versus Arsenal, 0-2 versus Chelsea) after winning 10 of their previous 11 such matches.
Everton will have to deal with current Golden Boot frontrunner 'Bunny' Shaw, who has scored nine goals so far this term. Five of those strikes have come via her head, and she has more such goals in total (24) than any other player in WSL history.
ASTON VILLA V WEST HAM
Aston Villa will welcome West Ham to Villa Park for a clash between two sides hovering above the danger zone. Sunday's hosts sit ninth on six points, just two behind eighth-placed West Ham.
Villa picked up their first victory of the campaign in their last home game against Crystal Palace (3-2) and could now win back-to-back home games in the WSL for the first time. They have played the most home games in the competition without ever winning two in a row (48).
It should be a day to remember for Jordan Nobbs, as the WSL's all-time leading appearance-maker brings up 200 outings in the competition. She scored on her 100th outing in the WSL back in October 2018, representing Arsenal against Bristol City.
Villa are in need of results to ensure they are not dragged into the mire, and the supercomputer is backing them here, with a 53.2% win probability. West Ham are given a 22.8% chance of a victory and a 23.9% chance of taking a point.
CRYSTAL PALACE V MAN UTD
Sunday's slate of games also features the first league meeting between Palace and Manchester United since the 2018-19 Championship season, when the Red Devils trounced the Eagles 5-0 away and 7-0 at home.
Palace sit bottom of the table and are expected to remain there for Christmas, with the supercomputer only giving them a 13.6% chance of earning three points. United, meanwhile, are given a 69.6% chance of victory and a 16.8% probability of a draw.
United have a perfect record against newly promoted opposition in the WSL, winning all 10 such games while scoring 29 goals and only conceding once.
Marc Skinner's side claimed their biggest win of the season last weekend, winning 4-0 against Liverpool; each of the Red Devils’ last six league victories – and 12 of their last 14 – have been accompanied by a clean sheet.
Only Chelsea (nine times), Arsenal (seven) and United (six) have opened the scoring on more occasions in the WSL than Palace (five) this season, though the Eagles have dropped a league-high 10 points from winning positions – if they do find themselves ahead, the challenge will be holding on.
LIVERPOOL V ARSENAL
The final fixture of the weekend sees Arsenal visit Liverpool, having looked a team transformed since Slegers took the reins from Jonas Eidevall.
The Gunners have won their last three league games, last winning four in a row in the WSL in December 2023, when they enjoyed a run of seven victories.
In their five WSL games under Slegers to date, Arsenal have scored exactly once (v Man Utd), twice (v West Ham), three times (v Spurs), four times (v Aston Villa) and five times (v Brighton); the Gunners have not scored six times in a league match since beating Leicester 6-2 last November.
On the opposing bench, Matt Beard will not be looking forward to Arsenal's visit. He has lost 16 of his 20 previous WSL meetings with Arsenal (three wins, one draw), losing to the Gunners with each of his clubs – seven times with Liverpool, four with West Ham and Chelsea, once with Bristol City.
The main threat to Liverpool could be Alessia Russo, who endured a slow start to the season but has since scored in four straight WSL games. She could become just the sixth Arsenal player to net in five in a row, and the first since Mead in May 2022.
Arsenal are big favourites with a 63% chance of victory, while Liverpool are assigned just a 17.4% hope and a 19.6% chance of earning a draw.
Bompastor insists Chelsea players 'don't really need me' as they extend winning run
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor played down her influence after the Blues' dominant 6-1 victory at home to Twente in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday.
That win extended Bompastor's 100% record in charge of Chelsea, having won all 14 of her matches at the helm.
Unsurprisingly, that record has lifted Chelsea to the top of the Women's Super League, where they are five points clear of Manchester City, and their Champions League group, where they lead Real Madrid by three points.
"They don't really need me," Bompastor told the media when referencing her players after Wednesday's match.
"When you are a Chelsea player, you are a competitive player, you have a lot of ambitions. I'm trying to match my ambitions with their ambitions and make sure we're on the same page.
"It's also about making sure when we're in a game and if we concede a goal and are not leading, that we stay strong mentally. That's really important and that is the confidence I try to bring to my players.
"If something wrong or something bad happens in the game, that's fine, because we still have the talent and the quality to come back.
"We just have to stay strong individually and collectively to make sure we're all together to come back in the game."
While Chelsea went a goal up after two minutes against Twente, they conceded from a penalty in the 29th minute to level things up. But just a minute later, Oriane Jean-Francois was on hand to get them back in front.
The result means they have now scored 17 times across five matches in Europe, though Bompastor thinks they could have had even more.
"It's always good for the confidence to score many goals," she said.
"Actually, I think we maybe could have scored a little bit more, but those goals are good for the confidence of the individuals and for the team.
"When we analyse the game, we will see good things in the final third and in the box. We were able to be efficient, but I think we still have room for improvement in that area."
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