Nottingham Forest will host Ipswich Town at the City Grouind for the FA Cup fifth-round clash on Monday, with a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs.
Nottingham Forest made an impressive start to the season, but they have regressed in recent weeks ahead of the FA Cup fifth-round tie vs Ipswich Town. The Tricky Trees are without a win in their last three matches across all competitions. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have picked up just two wins from their last six, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly.
They are certainly the better team on paper, and the home fans will expect a strong reaction from the players. It will be interesting to see if they can step up and get the job done. Meanwhile, Ipswich Town have endured a disappointing 2024/25 season so far, and they have picked up just one win from the last six matches in all competitions.
The Tractor Boys are coming into this game on the back of consecutive defeats against Tottenham and Manchester United. This will be an uphill challenge for them away from home, and it will be interesting to see if they can pull off an upset. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Carlos Miguel is the only injury worry for the home side, with the Brazilian goalkeeper recovering from a hamstring injury.
Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Ipswich Town, with Matz Sels in goal. Neco Williams and Ola Aina will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Nikola Milenkovic will start alongside Murillo at the heart of the defence.
Ryan Yates will start alongside Elliot Anderson in the midfield pivot, and they will look to add defensive cover to the side. Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi will look to add pace, flair and goals to the side from the wide areas.
Morgan Gibbs-White will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Finally, Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town .
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Ipswich Town
Wes Burns has a knee injury, Christian Walton has a groin injury, Chiedozie Ogbene misses out with an Achilles injury, and Omari Hutchinson has a knock. Meanwhile, Julio Enciso is ineligible to play in the FA Cup.
Ipswich Town will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Nottingham Forest, with Arijanet Muric in goal. Ben Johnson and Leif Davis will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to keep things compact defensively and hit Nottingham on the break. Luke Woolfenden and Dara O’Shea will form the central defensive pairing.
As for the midfield unit, Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste will start in the double pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side and break up opposition attacks. Nathan Broadhead and Jack Clarke will add pace and flair from the flanks.
Sammie Szomidics will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Finally, Liam Delap will spearhead the Ipswich Town attack vs Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, O’Shea, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Broadhead, Szomodics, Clarke; Delap
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest are undefeated in their last 15 home matches vs Ipswich Town in all competitions.
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in five of the last six matches vs Ipswich Town.
- Ipswich Town have lost four of their last six outings, whereas Nottingham have lost three in that time.
- Ramon Sosa has scored in both the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup so far this season. The last Nottingham Forest player to score in the first three (available) rounds of the competition in a campaign was Lee Chapman in 1988/89 (third, fourth and fifth rounds).
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
The Nottingham Forest striker has been spectacular this season, and he is our key player to watch out for. Ipswich Town have been quite vulnerable defensively, and Wood will look to take advantage of their defensive frailties and punish them in the final third with his movement and finishing ability.
Nottingham Forest will look to the veteran striker to produce a strong performance and guide them to the next round of the competition. Wood will look to create opportunities for his teammates with his hold up play, and he will also look to find the back of the net.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Ipswich Town
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. On paper, Nottingham Forest are the better team, and they will be the favourites heading into the FA Cup fifth-round tie.
The Tricky Trees have enough quality in the attack to grind out of victory here. Ipswich Town have been quite poor defensively, and their defensive unit is likely to let them down once again. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but Nottingham Forest are set to grind out a narrow victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Nuno Espirito Santo and his charges.
