Nottingham Forest will host Leicester City at the City Ground on Sunday, looking to keep their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification alive.
Nottingham Forest have just one win from their last five Premier League matches, and they cannot afford to slip up vs Leicester City at this stage of the season. The Tricky Trees have an impressive record against the Foxes, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out all three points.
Meanwhile, Leicester City are 19th in the Premier League table, and they have been relegated to the Championship. The Foxes have nothing to play for, and they will look to salvage some pride here. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team are coming into this game on the back of a win over Southampton, and it will be interesting to see if they can upset the odds.
The last time these two sides met in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest picked up a 3-1 win away from home. They will be looking to complete a league double over the Foxes this weekend. 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 will be without Callum Hudson-Odoi due to a hamstring injury. Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 3-4-3 formation vs Leicester City, with Matz Sels in goal.
Neco Williams and Ryan Yates will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Nikola Milenkovic will start alongside Murillo and Morato in the central defensive partnership.
As for teh midfield unit, Nicolas Dominguez will start alongside Elliot Anderson in the double pivot, and they will look to add defensive cover to the side. Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga will look to add pace, flair and goals to the side from the wide areas. Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest vs Leicester City this weekend.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates; Dominguez, Anderson; Gibbs-White, Wood, Elanga
Leicester City
The Foxes will be without Abdul Fatawu Issahaku due to a knee injury. Facundo Buonanotte, Bobby De Cordova-Red, Mads Hermansen, and Ricardo Pereira picked up knocks recently and will miss out.
Leicester City are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Nottingham Forest, with Danny Ward in goal. James Justin and Victor Kristiansen will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit the hosts on the break. Conor Coady will pair up start at the heart of the defence alongside Jannik Vestergaard.
As for the midfield unit, Wilfred Ndidi will start alongside Boubakary Soumare in the double pivot pivot, and they will look to break down the opposition’s attacking moves and win the ball back for their side.
Jordan Ayew and Kasey McAteer will start in the wide areas, and they will add pace and flair to the side. Bilal El Khannouss will reprise the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Jamie Vardy will spearhead the Leicester City attack vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ward; Justin, Vestergaard, Coady, Kristiansen; Ndidi, Soumare; Ayew, El Khannouss, McAteer; Vardy
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have scored at least two goals in eight of their last nine home matches vs Leicester City in all competitions.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in five of the last six matches against Leicester City.
- Leicester City have lost four of the last six matches in the Premier League.
- 21 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Jamie Vardy is set to become the first player to start 300 Premier League matches for Leicester on Sunday. He has scored 199 goals in 498 appearances for the club in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
The Nottingham Forest striker has done quite well this season, and he could punish the Leicester City defence here. The visitors have been quite vulnerable at the back, and they will struggle to contain the Nottingham Forest attacking unit. In addition, Wood has an excellent record against Leicester City.
The veteran striker has scored seven Premier League goals in 12 appearances against Leicester City, who he played for between 2013 and 2015. Nottingham Forest have been quite impressive going forward this season, and Wood could make a big difference for his team.
The New Zealander striker will look to find the back of the net and add to his goal tally for the season. The striker is adept when it comes to bringing others into the play, and he will look to create opportunities for his teammates as well.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leicester City
The home team are undoubtedly the favourites heading into this contest, and they should be able to grind out all three points here. Leicester City have been quite poor defensively, and they are likely to get punished on the road.
Nottingham Forest have quality attackers at their disposal, and they are likely to grind out a comprehensive victory here. The Tricky Trees have the motivation of pushing for UEFA Champions League qualification as well, and the home team is likely to come out on top. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Nuno Espirito Santo and his charges.
