Nottingham Forest will host Crystal Palace at the City Ground on Monday night, with both teams eager to clinch the three points.
Nottingham Forest have failed to win four of the last five Premier League games, and they will be desperate to bounce back when they welcome Crystal Palace to the City Ground on Monday night.
The Tricky Trees have made a reasonably good start to the season, and they are 12th in the league table. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have made themselves difficult to beat, and they have lost just once in the league this season.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace are yet to pick up a single victory in the Premier League, and they are coming into this game on the back of two consecutive defeats. The Eagles will look to get their season back on track with a positive result here, and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out a win away from home.
Crystal Palace are certainly the underdogs against Nottingham Forest given their recent performance preferences, and it remains to be seen whether the players can step up and deliver. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Danilo is ruled out with a long-term ankle injury, James Ward-Prowse is suspended and Ibrahim Sangare is out with a thigh injury. In addition, Morgan Gibbs-White will likely miss out due to an ankle issue. Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Crystal Palace, with Matz Sels in goal.
Neco Williams and Ola Aina will start as the full-backs. They will look to add defensive cover to the side and help out during counter-attacking situations. Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo should pair up at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Yates will start alongside Elliot Anderson in the double pivot, and they will look to add defensive cover and control to the side. Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair. Nicolas Dominguez will add creativity in the final third. Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Dominguez, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Crystal Palace
The Eagles will be without Chadi Riad due to a knee injury. Chris Richards is out with a thigh injury, Cheick Doucoure has an ankle issue, Matheus Franca is out with an abdominal problem, and Rob Holding is indefinitely unavailable. Matt Turner won’t be able to face his parent club.
Dean Henderson will start in goal for Crystal Palace as they line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation against Nottingham Forest. In the back three, Trevoh Chalobah will start alongside Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi. Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will start as the wing-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada will add defensive cover and creativity to the side in the middle of the park. Eberechi Eze will add creativity and goals to the side in the final third. Jean-Philippe Mateta will lead the line for the Eagles alongside Eddie Nketiah.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Henderson; Chalobah, Guehi, Lacroix; Munoz, Wharton, Kamada, Mitchell; Eze; Mateta, Nketiah
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have drawn their last three matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Nottingham Forest have seen under 2.5 goals in their last five matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- There have been under 2.5 goals scored in six of Nottingham Forest’s last seven games in the Premier League.
- Crystal Palace are winless in their last six Premier League matches.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in five of the last six Premier League matches.
Player to Watch
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Crystal Palace have looked quite vulnerable this season and they could struggle against Callum Hudson-Odoi. The Nottingham Forest attacker is our key player to watch out for. He will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates in the final third with his technical ability, vision, and passing. He will look to carve open the Crystal Palace defence and add to his goal tally as well.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Crystal Palace
This is likely to be a cracking contest, and both teams will look to pick up all three points. Crystal Palace will be desperate to pick up their first win of the season, but they are in poor form right now and completely devoid of confidence.
Even though the last three meetings between these two sides have ended in a draw, the home team will fancy their chances of picking up a win against a struggling Crystal Palace side. A narrow victory for Nottingham is on the cards.