Relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest will be looking to end their winless run when they host high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion.
Eighth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who are pushing for a European spot, will hit the road to square up against 19th-placed Nottingham Forest. The home team have failed to win any of their last 11 league fixtures and will be eager to return to winning ways as they look to survive relegation. Meanwhile, the visitors who have had a wonderful season so far will look to strengthen their case for a top-six finish with a win over the Tricky Trees.
Nottingham Forest demonstrated great resilience in their match against Liverpool, coming from behind twice to score goals through Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White. However, they were let down by defensive errors, which allowed Diogo Jota to score twice and Mohamed Salah to score the winning goal.
The defeat at the hands of Liverpool was their fourth in a row. It saw them drop down to the 19th spot. They need to win their upcoming games if they want to avoid being relegated to the Championship. Unfortunately, Nottingham has not won any of their last 11 games. And, if things do not improve in the near future, they might not survive in the Premier League.
Despite this, Nottingham Forest have a good record at home, having lost only two of their last 12 Premier League games played at the City Ground. They have even achieved good results against top teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. Therefore, they will be hoping to take advantage of Brighton’s current low morale.
Meanwhile, Brighton, who dominated the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, ended up losing it on penalties. They had more possession of the ball and took more shots at goal but failed to find the back of the net.
They failed to convert their dominance into goals, and the game ended 0-0, leading to a penalty shootout, which they lost. Roberto De Zerbi’s men, however, still have something to play for this season. They are currently eighth in the Premier League with 49 points out of their 29 matches.
They are four points behind 5th placed Tottenham and have three games in hand. The Seagulls are well on course to finish inside the top six. And, if they manage to continue their good run they could even push for a top-four finish.
Brighton have only lost one of their last seven league matches and two of their last 13 games. They have won seven games and drawn four, which has kept them within reach of a European spot. Their impressive 2-1 win against Chelsea earlier this month is a testament to their scoring ability.
They will be confident of getting a win against a struggling Nottingham side that has one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League. However, in the reverse fixture between the two earlier in the season, the Tricky Trees managed to hold them to a 0-0 draw. And, they will be hoping to put in a similar performance. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Steve Cooper has a lengthy list of injuries to deal with. He will be without the services of as many as 11 first-team players. Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Serge Aurier, Giulian Biancone, Omar Richards, Dean Henderson, Chris Wood, Ryan Yates, Gustavo Scarpa, Jack Colback and Cheikhou Kouyate are all out injured.
💪 @taiwoawoniyi18 pic.twitter.com/nnf46lFoy3
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 25, 2023
Cooper is expected to start with the 3-4-1-2 formation, where Keylor Navas will be in goal. The back three will be Joe Worrall, Moussa Niakhate and Felipe. Neco Williams and Renan Lodi will be a part of the midfield four, they will be featuring in the role of wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Remo Freuler will pair up with Orel Mangala. The duo will look to control the pace of the game as they try to figure out a way to return to winning ways.
Morgan Gibbs-White will start in the attacking midfielder’s role. He will look to create chances for the front two. Brennan Johnson who was dropped in their last outing should return to the XI and pair up with Taiwo Awoniyi as the front two.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Navas; Felipe, Worral, Niakhate; Williams, Freuler, Mangala, Lodi; Gibbs-White; Awoniyi, Johnson
Brighton & Hove Albion
As far as the visitors are concerned, they will be without the services of Evan Ferguson, Adam Lallana, Jeremy Sarmiento and Tariq Lamptey. Roberto De Zebri could be making a few changes to the XI that took the field against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final. He is expected to go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation.
RDZ will speak to the press shortly before our trip to Forest. 💬 @BrightonTools 📲 pic.twitter.com/EJe8Tf8OC3
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 25, 2023
Jason Steele could start ahead of Robert Sanchez for this fixture. Pascal Gross and Pervis Estupinan will be the full-backs for this fixture. Adam Webster and Lewis Dunk were the centre-back pairing for this fixture.
Alexis Mac Allister is expected to drop into the double-pivot role alongside Moises Caicedo. In the attacking front, Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March will star out wide as they look to stretch the opposition’s defence. Julio Enciso will start as the attacking midfielder while Danny Welbeck will be the number nine.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Steele; Gross, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Caicedo, Mac Allister; March, Enciso, Mitoma; Welbeck
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have faced Nottingham Forest 13 times in the past, winning five, losing three, and drawing five matches.
- Alexis Mac Allister has contributed to nine goals in 25 league starts for Brighton in the current season.
- Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma has made 11 goal contributions in just 17 league starts so far this season.
- Morgan Gibbs-White has been the mainstay of Nottingham Forest in the ongoing season. He has contributed to nine goals in 28 league starts.
- Pascal Gross has been involved in 12 goals in 29 league starts for the Seagulls.
Player to Watch
Kaoru Mitoma
Kaoru Mitoma has been one of the standout performers for Brighton this season. The 25-year-old winger has been in scintillating form in the second half of the campaign. And, Roberto De Zerbi will once again count on him to get the job done.
Featuring in 24 Premier League games this season, Mitoma has been a key contributor for Brighton with his impressive performances on the left flank. He has scored seven goals and provided five assists in the Premier League so far, Mitoma’s contribution to the team’s attacking prowess cannot be overstated.
As Brighton & Hove Albion look to finish the season strongly and challenge for European qualification, Mitoma’s performances will be a key factor in determining the team’s success.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton seem to have the upper hand heading into this fixture. With Nottingham Forest’s 11-match winless streak and Brighton’s good run of form in the Premier League, it is hard to see anything but a Brighton win.
However, Nottingham’s impressive home record should not be overlooked, and they have already shown their ability to produce good results against top teams at City Ground. Nonetheless, Brighton’s attacking prowess and recent performances give them an edge over Nottingham. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the visitors.
