Championship action is back following a minor mid-week Carabao Cup distraction, and Aston Villa play host to Nottingham Forest, in a massive clash in the West Midlands.

The hosts have struggled this season despite manager Steve Bruce adding a lot of new faces to his squad, and the pressure is firmly on the former Hull City and Sunderland manager.

A comfortable Carabao Cup defeat at home to Middlesbrough will not have helped matters, and Bruce must bounce back from that horror show with a solid display against the visiting Reds.

Forest suffered a convincing Cup defeat of their own in the week, and were demolished by a ruthless Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge.

The gap in quality between the two sides was clear for all to see, leaving many to questions whether the club are even remotely ready to challenge for a spot in England’s premiere competition.

Mark Warburton’s men enter the game on the back of a league defeat of their own, having been narrowly beaten at the City Ground by Wolves, and will be keen to bounce back from defeat.

The former European Champions have won four of their first eight, but could struggle against a Villa side desperate for results in the league.

Both sides are expected to field close to what will be their strongest line-ups, with Villa striker Jonathan Kodjia set to get the start following a long-term injury lay-off.

The Ivorian has been a massive miss, and fans will hope the striker can replicate the 19 goals he smashed in the division last season.

This will be a tight affair, with neither side giving too much away, but I just have a sneaky feeling that Kodjia’s return could make the difference at Villa Park.

Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest

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