Nottingham Forest will host Wolves in the Premier League as club football resumes post the international break.
Nottingham Forest and Wolves will square up against each other in search of three important points as they look to survive in the English top flight. Both the teams have had a tough time in the ongoing season and would hope that a win in this fixture can bring them back on track.
The home team are currently 16th in the Premier League. They have accumulated a total of 26 points in their 27 matches. Nottingham Forest are just two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United, having played an extra game.
The Reds have managed to score just 22 goals all season long and are amongst the lowest-scoring teams in the division. Their defence has not helped either as they can concede twice the number of goals (49). It is in many ways a must-win encounter for them, and they will go all out to claim all three points.
Nottingham Forest have been winless in their last six league encounters, and they are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 loss against Newcastle. That defeat came before the international break, and they will be hoping to bounce back with a win against Wolves on Saturday.
As far as the visitors are concerned, they have not had the best of times in the ongoing season. Wolverhampton Wanderers are expected to be in the top half of the table in general, but they are currently battling relegation.
Wolves are currently 13th in the points table, with 27 points out of the 28 matches. They are one point and three places above Nottingham Forest, who have a game in hand. As a result, they are well aware of the fact that a defeat here could make things very difficult for them.
The away team have only won one match in their last six league outings. That win came against Tottenham back in the first week of March. They are heading into this encounter on the back of two consecutive defeats in the league. Their last outing was a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Leeds. And, they will be desperate to get back on track with a win here.
In the reverse fixture between the two teams, Wolves won 1-0 courtesy of a Ruben Neves penalty. It was an evenly contested fixture and similar is the expectation from this match. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this meeting between the two and tries to analyse the tactics they could deploy.
Team News and Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest will be without the services of quite a few players for this fixture. Chris Wood has been ruled out for the remained of the season. While Serge Aurier, Andre Ayew and Gustavo Scarpa picked up injuries during the international break.
Dean Henderson, Giulian Biancone, Omar Richards and Willy Boly are still out with injuries. Apart from the four, Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates and Wayne Hennessey are doubtful for this fixture against Wolves.
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— Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) March 30, 2023
Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Taiwo Awoniyi and Cheikhou Kouyate have returned from their respective injuries. We could see some major changes from the team that took the field in their last outing against Newcastle United because of injuries to a few of their players.
Steve Cooper is expected to start with the 4-3-2-1 formation. Former Real Madrid star Keylor Navas will start in goal. Neco Williams and Renan Lodi could be the full-backs while Joe Worrall and Felipe are expected to once again start as the centre-back pairing.
Danilo, Jonjo Shelvey and Remo Freuler could start in the centre of the park. The two behind the centre forward Sam Surridge will be Jesse Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White. The duo will look to line up with the striker and create chances as they try and push for a win.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Navas; Williams, Worrall, Felipe, Lodi; Danilo, Shelvey, Freuler; Lingard, Gibbs-White; Surridge
Wolverhampton Wanderers
The visitors will be without the services of Sasa Kalajdzic, Chiquinho and Hwang Hee-chan due to injuries. Meanwhile, Hugo Bueno who has been struggling with a hamstring issue is still a doubt for this outing.
Jonny who was sent off in their fixture against Leeds is out due to suspension. However, they do have a boost as Matheus Nunes is available for selection after his three-match suspension was overturned by the FA.
Lopetegui on the challenge ahead.
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— Wolves (@Wolves) March 30, 2023
And, Boubacar Traore is also back from his muscle injury having made two substitute appearances for Mali during the international break.
Julen Lopetegui is expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation. Jose Sa will start in between the sticks. The back four will be Rayan Ait-Nouri, Craig Dawson, Max Kilman and Nelson Semedo. Ait-Nouri and Semedo will look to push up upfield from the flanks along with their defensive duties.
The highly sought-after Ruben Neves will pair up with Mario Lemina in the centre of the park as the double pivots. Meanwhile, Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence will be deployed as the wingers. Joao Moutinho could start as the attacking midfielder. The Portugal international will look to link up with the double pivots as well as the striker Raul Jimenez and supply the players out wide.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Ait-Nouri; Neves, Lemina; Neto, Moutinho, Podence; Jimenez
Key Stats
- In the 14 head-to-head encounters between Wolves and Nottingham Forest, the visitors have won seven games while the home team have won five.
- Wolves and Nottingham Forest are amongst the lowest-scoring teams in the ongoing Premier League season with 22 goals scored by each team.
- Nottingham Forest have conceded 49 goals in the ongoing season, they have the second-weakest defence in the league behind Bournemouth.
- Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White has seven goal contributions in 23 league starts.
- Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves has scored five goals in his 27 league starts.
Player to Watch
Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White has been the mainstay for Nottingham Forest in the ongoing season. And, manager Steve Cooper will expect the 23-year-old to once again produce the goods for his team.
The former Wolves attacking midfielder is expected to once again start for the Tricky Trees. He has seven goal contributions so far in the Premier League having featured in 26 outings. With Nottingham Forest desperate for all three points against the visitors, they will hope that the 23-year-old steps up and leads from the front.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Wolves
Both teams have struggled in the ongoing season. And, this is expected to be an evenly-contested match between the two. While Wolves came out on top in the reverse fixtures, this one might be a touch more complicated given what is on the line.
Surviving relegation is the primary focus for both clubs. They will give it their all to ensure they do not end up on the wrong side of the result. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two sides.
