Ollie Watkins described the 2025-26 season with Aston Villa as the "toughest" of his career, but he remains optimistic of making England's squad for the 2026 World Cup. 

Watkins has struggled to hit form since scoring a dramatic winner in the semi-finals of Euro 2024, where the Three Lions defeated the Netherlands under Gareth Southgate. 

The 30-year-old has netted just 12 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions this season and was surprisingly left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad last month. 

However, Watkins did his chances of an international recall no harm when he scored a brace in Villa's 3-1 win over Bologna on Thursday, in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie.

He has now been directly involved in a goal in three successive major European games for the very first time (three goals, one assist), while he has netted in back-to-back away games for the first time in Europe, but Watkins acknowledged he must transfer that form to the Premier League too. 

Villa are currently battling to return to UEFA's premier club competition next season, and they have been boosted by the news that England's top five clubs will qualify. 

"We've got a massive tournament in the summer," Watkins said. "I'm doing all I can to get there, score some more goals before the end of the season and hopefully be in that World Cup squad.

"The toughest moment for me has probably been, throughout all my career, I would say this season. Just because I've done so well to get to where I am.

"Getting to the Premier League, we had a bit of a dip. I scored goals, and then you set that expectation where I think I can hit a new level and score goals in Europe as well.

"That goal after the Euros. I think there are more eyes on you, and then this year I haven't been at the level I wanted to, so learning to deal with that is hard."

Watkins will be hoping to make his mark in Villa's next Premier League clash, which sees them make the short trip to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest on Sunday. 

Forest were also involved in midweek action, taking a 1-1 draw away from Portugal after Martim Fernandes' bizarre own goal sealed a share of the spoils against Porto. 

Vitor Pereira's side are two points above the relegation zone in 16th, though West Ham are now level on points with them after thrashing Wolves 4-0 on Friday.

Should Forest lose and Tottenham beat Sunderland on Sunday, they would end the weekend only outside the drop zone on goal difference.

"The moment of Aston Villa is not the same as Tottenham but, thinking about us, in our minds, is to prepare, to compete, to get points, because we need a good result," Pereira said.

"To have a good result is important, we need to be with fresh legs and fresh minds to face a strong team like Aston Villa.

"We need to face these games [Villa and the Porto second leg] at our best level.

"That's why it's important to balance the two competitions. Otherwise, it would be impossible to move on."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White

In 2026, only Bruno Fernandes (12), Joao Pedro (10), and Igor Thiago (eight) have more Premier League goal involvements than Gibbs-White (seven – six goals, one assist).

However, just one of Gibbs-White's goal involvements in the league this calendar year has come at the City Ground, scoring against Crystal Palace back in February.

Aston Villa – John McGinn

Villa have won 14 of their 23 Premier League games in which McGinn has started this season (61%), and they will be hoping he will play his part here. 

It is the highest ratio of any player to start 20+ league games for the club this season. When he hasn't started, Villa's win rate drops to 25% (2/8) in 2025-26. 

MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN

Villa are looking to complete the league double over Forest for the first time since 2017-18 (in the Championship), and for the first time in the Premier League since 1992-93.

And you would fancy their chances here, given they have only lost three of their 17 top-flight games against Forest (W9 D5). Among the sides they have faced 15+ times in the competition, only against Coventry City (16.7%) do they have a lower loss rate than against the Tricky Trees (17.6%).

However, Emery's side have lost their last two away games in the Premier League, last losing more in a row between November and December 2024 (five), a run which included a 2-1 loss at the City Ground. 

Forest, meanwhile, have won their last two home league games against Villa, though they last won three in a row against them between 1977 and 1979.

But they have struggled in front of their own supporters of late. Forest are winless in seven home league games (D4 L3), failing to score in their last three. They last went longer without a home league goal in February 2018 in the Championship (five games), and have only once done so in the top flight (four matches in April 1911).

In addition, Forest have scored 13 goals from 228 shots at the City Ground in the Premier League this season, a conversion rate of 5.7%. It is the lowest home conversion rate by any side in a Premier League campaign since Fulham in 2020-21 (3.9%).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nottingham Forest – 30.6%

Draw – 25%

Aston Villa – 44.3%