Everton and Nottingham Forest will aim to continue their unbeaten runs when they face off at Goodison Park on Sunday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season will reach its halfway mark before the year ends, with Gameweek 19 starting on Sunday. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with the game between Leicester City and Manchester City at the King Power Stadium before the action continues with four simultaneous matches, including Everton vs Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park.
The Sean Dyche effect is in full flow at Everton after a dreadful start to the 2024/25 season. The Toffees are on a four-match unbeaten run, although their three most recent matches have ended all square. That has meant that while the hosts have become hard to beat, they have not stretched the gap to the drop zone, with 18th-placed Leicester City only three points behind.
Meanwhile, the 2024/25 season has witnessed the rise of surprise top-four contenders, with Nottingham Forest one of them. The Tricky Trees are fourth in the Premier League standings, only two points behind second-placed Arsenal. With Manchester City faltering, Nuno Espirito Santo might feel his men have a decent chance of securing a shock UEFA Champions League qualification, with European football on the cards in the 2025/26 season.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Everton beat Nottingham Forest 2-0, with Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
Sean Dyche has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Everton manager might be bereft of the services of only two first-team players vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Ashley Young is available after serving a suspension this past weekend against Manchester City. Meanwhile, Sean Dyche has been sweating over the fitness of Seamus Coleman (calf), Dwight McNeil (knee), and Iliman Ndiaye (calf). However, the trio should be fit and available. So, James Garner (lower back) and Tim Iroegbunam (foot) are the only players on the sidelines.
Jordan Pickford will take his spot between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The backline should feature Ashley Young, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Vitaliy Mykolenko.
As for the midfield unit, Orel Mangala, Idrissa Gueye, and Abdoulaye Doucoure should combine in a defensive-minded trifecta, although the latter will also provide the forward thrust from the middle of the park. Finally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line for Everton against Nottingham Forest, with Jack Harrison and Iliman Ndiaye being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Mangala, Gueye, Doucoure; Harrison, Calvert-Lewin, Ndiaye
Nottingham Forest
Unlike his counterpart in the Everton dugout, Nuno Espirito Santo has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Goodison Park. The Nottingham Forest manager will be without three first-team players on Sunday.
While Nicolas Dominguez is available after serving a one-match ban, Ryan Yates will miss the game due to a suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the 2024/25 Premier League season. The 27-year-old midfielder has joined long-term absentees Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Matz Selz is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Nottingham Forest lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Everton on Sunday. The backline should feature Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Neco Williams.
As for the midfield unit, Nicolas Dominguez will replace Ryan Yates as Elliot Anderson’s partner in the double pivot. Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the no. 10 role, looking to pull the strings from the advanced areas. Finally, Chris Wood will spearhead the Nottingham Forest attack against Everton on Sunday, with Jota Silva and Anthony Elanga being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Dominguez, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Silva; Wood
Key Stats
- Everton have lost just one of the last nine Premier League games vs Nottingham Forest. The Toffees have kept a clean sheet in all eight Premier League wins over Forest. Their record when conceding at least once against the Tricky Trees is drawn two, lost four.
- Everton have lost only two of their last 13 Premier League matches but have registered a joint-high eight draws (W3). The Toffees’ three victories this season have come against teams currently below them in the standings.
- Nottingham Forest have won four straight Premier League games for the first time since 1995. They can equal the club record of five successive victories in the division, which they set in April 1995. The Tricky Trees are guaranteed to be in the top four of the top flight at the turn of the year for the first time since 1987/88 under Brian Clough.
- Everton are unbeaten in six consecutive Premier League home fixtures. The Toffees have played a goalless stalemate in all three league matches this campaign versus the teams currently in the top five of the table.
- Nottingham Forest have scored the opening goal in a league-high 14 matches this season. Meanwhile, Everton have scored eight goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties), second only to Arsenal’s 10.
Player to Watch
Anthony Elanga
Chris Wood and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were viable candidates for this section. However, we have picked the in-form Anthony Elanga as our Player to Watch for the game between Everton and Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday.
The Swedish attacker has been exceptional in the last ten days, scoring in three consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time. The latest run has come after he went 28 matches without a goal. Elanga will be eager to continue his hot streak to help Nottingham Forest end a memorable first half of the 2024/25 Premier League season on a high.
Prediction
Everton 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Few could have predicted Everton turning things around so well after the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United a few weeks ago. While the Toffees have barely won games, they have become a tough nut to crack.
However, the visitors have a free-flowing offensive unit that creates in-form goalscorers every few games. So, Saturday’s clash is setting up to become a game of fine margins. Ultimately, there might not be much to separate the two teams, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 1-1 draw between Everton and Nottingham Forest.
