Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth will aim to kick-start their Premier League campaigns with a bang when they clash at City Ground on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season will kick off on Friday with the game between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford, as the long and arduous campaign finally begins. Saturday will be an action-packed day, with Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth being an eye-catching fixture between two potential relegation candidates that will look to finish in the mid-table places.
Nottingham Forest endured an adventurous 2023/24 Premier League campaign, with a points deduction leaving them in the relegation dogfight longer than they would have liked. The Tricky Trees have enjoyed a solid pre-season campaign, with the squad absorbing Nuno Espirito Santo’s methods, losing only one game.
As for Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola turned the team from dogged performers to an exciting side last season. However, Dominic Solanke’s departure might hurt them, although Evanilson will aim to hit the ground running when he arrives from FC Porto. The Cherries have been busy in the market this summer, while they enjoyed an unbeaten pre-season campaign, winning and drawing twice each.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Bournemouth come from a goal down to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2, with Dominic Solanke scoring a match-winning hat-trick. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo does not have any fitness issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s first match of the 2024/25 season. Against Bournemouth on Saturday, the Nottingham Forest manager will have a full-strength squad.
Matz Sels should take his spot between the sticks, with Nottingham Forest lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline should feature Neco Williams, Ola Aina, Murillo, and summer signing Nikola Milenkovic.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Yates and Danilo should pair up in the double pivot. The duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the no. 10 role, with Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Bournemouth
Unlike his counterpart in the Nottingham Forest dugout, Andoni Iraola has a few fitness issues to deal with ahead of the trip to City Ground. The Nottingham Forest manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
Summer signing Enes Unal is one of the absentees, with the Turkish striker recovering from a foot injury. Tyler Adams (back) and David Brooks (shoulder) are the other players on the sidelines. However, Neto and Marcos Senesi are available after Iraola sweat over their fitness.
Neto will take his spot between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Nottingham Forest. The backline should feature Adam Smith, Milos Kerkez, Illia Zabarnyi, and summer signing Dean Huijsen.
As for the midfield unit, Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie should rekindle their partnership in the double pivot. Justin Kluivert will reprise the no. 10 role, with Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra being the two wide attackers. Finally, Antoine Semenyo should spearhead the Bournemouth attack on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Tavernier, Kluivert, Sinisterra; Semenyo
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest are without a win in their last eight league games against Bournemouth (D3 L5), losing the three most recent fixtures at home against the Cherries.
- Nottingham Forest have lost their opening league games in the last five seasons, conceding exactly two goals each time.
- After losing the opening game in their first three Premier League campaigns, Bournemouth are unbeaten in their four most recent season openers in the competition (W2 D2).
- Nottingham Forest have earned just 16 points so far in 2024 (W4 D4 L10), the fewest of any current Premier League side. However, they have won two of their last three league games (L1), as many as in their first 15 this calendar year (D4 L9).
- Bournemouth have only failed to score in three of their last 30 Premier League games, with those blanks coming against last season’s top three (0-4 vs Liverpool in January, 0-1 vs Manchester City in February, 0-3 vs Arsenal in May).
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
Dominic Solanke’s move to Tottenham means neither team can boast of a standout attacker heading into Saturday’s match. So, Chris Wood, Antoine Semenyo, Luis Sinisterra, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Justin Kluivert will have a point to prove. However, we have picked Wood for this section due to his recent Premier League record.
Wood has scored 11 goals in 16 Premier League games for Nottingham Forest under Nuno Espírito Santo, having found the back of the net just four times in 22 appearances under Steve Cooper. The veteran striker has also been involved in six Premier League strikes vs Bournemouth (four goals, two assists), only having a hand in more against West Ham United (8) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (7).
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth traded many blows last season, with the aggregate score from the two Premier League games ending 4-3 in the Cherries’ favour. The clashes also had a tinge of red, with each team seeing a player earn marching orders. Saturday’s match-up should not be any different, although Dominic Solanke’s departure tips the scales in the home team’s favour.
Nuno Espírito Santo has not lost a Matchday 1 match in his last 11 league campaigns (W7 D4), considering his time in Portugal, Spain, England, and Saudi Arabia. His teams have won their four most matches, keeping a clean sheet each time. That record should continue, with The Hard Tackle predicting a hard-fought 2-1 victory for the home side.