Nottingham Forest will welcome struggling Burnley to the City Ground on Monday night, looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins.
Nottingham Forest have gotten off to a hot start, while Vincent Kompany’s newly-promoted Burnley are yet to get any points on the board.
After avoiding relegation with a game to spare last season, there is every reason to believe Forest might avoid the much-feared “second season syndrome” following an electric start this term.
They started their campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, but bounced back with a win under their belts in their very next league game, beating Sheffield United 2-1. They then blew away a two-goal advantage to lose 3-2 against out-of-sorts Manchester United at Old Trafford but secured a famous 1-0 win at Chelsea prior to the international break.
That means Forest have taken six points from their opening four fixtures of the season, and they will be confident of securing another three when Burnley pay them a visit. Burnley, on the other hand, travel to Nottingham in search of their first point in their latest Premier League stint.
The Clarets’ return to the Premier League has not gone according to plan, as they entered the first international break of the 2023/24 season at the bottom of the standings. It was always going to be a difficult start for Vincent Kompany’s side, who have been trounced 3-0 by Manchester City, 3-1 by Aston Villa, and 5-2 by Tottenham Hotspur.
But their patchy defensive performances have raised concerns about their survival prospects. Indeed, they have leaked a league-high 11 goals across their opening three fixtures of the season, conceding at least three times on each occasion. In attack, they have looked good in phases, but not clinical enough to write home about.
These two sides recently met in the Carabao Cup, with Burnley emerging as 0-1 victors in that one, but there could be more goals in this encounter. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News and Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Looking ahead to #NFOBUR 💬
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) September 16, 2023
Nottingham Forest will be without Danilo due to the hamstring issue that forced him off during the win over Chelsea. Meanwhile, Serge Aurier and Anthony Elanga are carrying injuries and face late fitness tests. Elanga scored the winning goal at Stamford Bridge but was withdrawn from the Sweden squad during the international window due to a hamstring problem.
Felipe and Wayne Hennessey are two more players dealing with injuries, but they are out of the starting XI picture anyway. Should Serge Aurier miss out, recent loan acquisition Gonzalo Montiel is a ready-made replacement at right wing-back as manager Steve Cooper looks to stick with the tried and tested 3-4-2-1 formation.
A host of players, including Callum Hudson-Odoi, Divock Origi, Nicolas Dominguez, and Ibrahim Sangare, could make their debuts after deadline day moves. Hudson-Odoi, who is direct and dangerous, particularly on the counter, will be a thorn in the side and could come as a direct replacement for Elanga alongside creative Morgan Gibbs-White.
Star striker Taiwo Awoniyi, who has scored four goals across Forest’s last three home league games, will be looking to continue his blistering start to the season, having found the back of the net in each of their opening three games of the season, most notably scoring away at both Arsenal and Manchester United in the process.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Turner; Boly, Worrall, McKenna; Montiel, Mangala, Yates, Aina; Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi
Burnley
Dealing with an extended thigh injury and yet to feature this season, Burnley will once again be without the services of 23-year-old Michael Obafemi on Monday night, while Hjalmar Ekdal and Darko Churlinov are other long-term absentees.
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is hopeful that summer signing Aaron Ramsey will be able to play some part after recovering from a mild knock. Anass Zaroury is also back in contention, having served a three-match suspension.
The countdown to matchday is 🔛
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) September 16, 2023
Vitinho has been passed fit for this one and could take his place at left-back, with Connor Roberts featuring on the opposite flank. Despite conceding five goals last time out, Kompany is likely to keep faith with the same central defensive pairing of Dara O’Shea and Jordan Beyer in front of goalkeeper James Trafford.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Luca Koleosho will operate as the wide midfielders, and they will look to protect the full-backs. That will also be the case for the double-pivot of Josh Cullen and Sander Berge. Midfielder Mike Tresor joined on deadline day and could make his debut off the bench, while Josh Brownhill is also pushing for a start after scoring in a substitute cameo against Tottenham.
Already notching a pair of top-flight strikes in his first three appearances, South African international Lyle Foster will spearhead Burnley’s charge at the City Ground and could be key if they are to drag themselves out of danger.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Roberts, O’Shea, Beyer, Vitinho; Gudmundsson, Cullen, Berge, Koleosho; Amdouni, Foster
Key Stats
- Burnley have lost all three league games so far, conceding 11 times.
- Nottingham Forest have won their last four home league matches.
- Taiwo Awoniyi has scored or assisted in each of Forest’s last eight league games.
- Forest have only lost two of their last 16 home league fixtures.
- The Tricky Trees have scored in each of their last 11 Premier League matches, their longest scoring streak in the top flight since a 14-game winning run between February and August 1995.
Player to Watch
Taiwo Awoniyi
Nottingham Forest’s man of the moment, Taiwo Awoniyi, finished last season in excellent form,. And he has picked up where he left off, playing a key role in their good performances this term. Since the start of last season, the bustling Nigerian has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Forest player (13 goals, 2 assists).
The forward has scored or assisted in each of his last eight outings in the competition, netting nine goals in that run. He had bulged the net in seven straight league games heading into Forest’s clash with Chelsea before the international break. While his scoring streak ended, he set up Anthony Elanga for the winner. So we back him to notch against the porous Clarets backline.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Burnley
While it may not be the most appealing match to the neutral as Monday Night Football returns post-international break, Nottingham Forest vs Burnley will certainly be an intriguing clash of styles. Steve Cooper’s side have enjoyed a strong start to the season with direct, counter-offensive football.
Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, meanwhile, earned praise for their fearless front-foot style in their Championship romp last season; they may need to be more prudent after experiencing a baptism of fire.
Despite their early session troubles, the visitors are unlikely to sacrifice their forward-thinking principles here, meaning that their defensive inefficiencies will come to the surface once more, playing into Forest’s hands. With that in mind, The Hard Tackle predicts a convincing 3-1 victory for the hosts.