Aston Villa will face a wounded Nottingham Forest tonight and will be hoping to continue their slight resurgence following a poor start to the season.

Having lost four of their opening five Premier League matches, Steven Gerrard's side are now three unbeaten, including an impressive draw with Manchester City.

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This has seen them rise to 16th, and a win tonight could see them go as high as ninth.

They have Steve Cooper’s side to beat, who have lost their last five in the league, shipping 17 goals during this period.

With a few injuries forcing the 42-year-old into some changes, here’s the Aston Villa XI we’re predicting for tonight’s game…

From last week’s 0-0 draw with Leeds United, one can expect three changes to that starting side.

Emiliano Martinez will unsurprisingly continue in goal and will hope to build on their clean sheet from this result.

Matty Cash is expected to be fit for the game, and he will likely start. As Lucas Digne remains injured, Ashley Young will deputise at left-back.

They will flank an unchanged centre-back pairing of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa.

The midfield three of John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey will likely stay untouched, due to both a lack of alternative personnel and no real need to change it.

It is the front three that Gerrard might hope to tweak slightly to increase their proficiency.

To do this, Danny Ings is the perfect man. The lethal frontman has just one goal this season but is capable of finishing most chances that fall his way. His 46 goals in just 100 games for Southampton are a testament to this.

Due to his recall, Ollie Watkins will be pushed out to the left flank, where he is comfortable operating. His size and aerial prowess offer a unique aspect for a winger, who should have an enjoyable time with how Neco Williams likes to bomb forward.

That leaves the right winger spot, where finally Emi Buendia will return to the line-up. The tricky 25-year-old has impressed in his few appearances this season, and his recall sees the underperforming "magician" - as dubbed by journalist Eric Njiru - Philippe Coutinho drop to the bench. As a result, it would mark the Argentine's first start since they faced Arsenal in August.