By Cole Gallagher / August 20, 2026
EFL Cup Round 2 · Aug 26, 2026 · City Ground, Nottingham · 7:45 PM BST / 2:45 PM ET
⚽ Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa ⚽
EFL Cup books post lines closer to kickoff. Check back nearer August 26 for a live number.
Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa at the City Ground in EFL Cup Round 2, a fixture with genuine European Cup pedigree on both sides even if this particular tie is a straight knockout affair with no second leg. Oliver Glasner and Unai Emery both know the value of silverware, and neither manager will want a midweek slip to end a cup run this early. Here is the full top betting sites breakdown for the tie, part of our ongoing EFL Cup Round 2 coverage.
Odds Comparison
| Sportsbook | Nottingham Forest | Draw | Aston Villa |
| Sports Interaction | Check Odds → | Check Odds → | Check Odds → |
| Betovo | Check Odds → | Check Odds → | Check Odds → |
| Bet365 | Check Odds → | Check Odds → | Check Odds → |
| Tonybet | Check Odds → | Check Odds → | Check Odds → |
| Betway | Check Odds → | Check Odds → | Check Odds → |
Both Teams to Score
Total Goals
Team Analysis
Nottingham Forest
Oliver Glasner’s summer defensive addition, £34m centre-back Ousmane Diomandé, gives Forest a bit more solidity at the back for a home cup night, even with striker Taiwo Awoniyi still a long way from returning following a second procedure this summer. Keeping hold of playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White despite Tottenham’s interest means Glasner still has his most creative outlet available for a tie the City Ground crowd will be desperate to win.
Key Storyline: Forest still have Morgan Gibbs-White available after fending off Tottenham’s interest, even with Taiwo Awoniyi still a long way from a return
Aston Villa
Unai Emery’s Villa head to the City Ground still missing Amadou Onana for the season with an ACL injury, a significant loss in midfield, on top of losing Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans over the summer. New arrivals Alejandro Garnacho and Johan Manzambi add fresh quality further forward, but a knockout tie at a well-organized home side is a stern early test for a squad still adjusting to those departures.
Key Storyline: Villa travel without the injured Amadou Onana and still adjusting to life after losing Rogers and Tielemans
Key Betting Angles
Forest’s home form and settled spine, with Gibbs-White still available, give them a real platform, while Villa’s midfield reshuffle following Onana’s long-term injury and the departures of Rogers and Tielemans is a genuine concern in a one-off tie with no room for a slow start. Garnacho and Manzambi offer Villa a different kind of attacking threat, which keeps this from being a one-sided affair even with the injury list working against the visitors.
We are tracking the full EFL Cup Round 2 slate, plus everything else on the board, over on worldcupbetting.ca.
Our Prediction
Cole’s Pick: Nottingham Forest to win
Home advantage, a settled spine built around Gibbs-White, and Villa’s ongoing midfield issues without Onana all point toward Forest advancing. Villa’s new attacking additions should create moments, but not enough to overturn the hosts on their own patch.
Confidence: medium, Villa’s midfield absences are the biggest swing factor in this tie
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Cole Gallagher covers soccer betting for WorldCupBetting.ca, specialising in match predictions, odds analysis and tournament futures. Based in Toronto, he has followed the Canadian men’s national team since their 2022 qualifying campaign and brings a line-shopping, data-first approach to every pick.