Crystal Palace will target a positive start to their Premier League campaign on home soil as they host an in-form Nottingham Forest side at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Crystal Palace experienced a momentous week as they made their European debut with a narrow 1-0 win at Selhurst Park over Norwegian outfit Fredrikstad, with Nottingham Forest up next. The midweek game did receive plenty of coverage in the media, mostly due to Eberechi Eze’s impending move to Arsenal, with everyone supporting those two clubs eagerly waiting on news about whether the attacker features in that midweek game.
With Eze’s expected departure to Arsenal leaving a big void, Oliver Glasner was vocal about the need to find reinforcements in the time remaining in the window. However, with a first home game of the season in the Premier League around the corner, the Austrian tactician is focused on getting a result against Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park.
Palace had a good start to their Premier League campaign, as they managed a hard-fought goalless draw away at Chelsea on the opening weekend. The game saw a direct free-kick strike from Eze ruled out for a rule that has not been applied in over six years. Glasner will have been content with that solitary point, but he will want to use the momentum from the midweek win to collect the first victory of the league campaign at home.
Meanwhile, things are not well in the background at Nottingham Forest following comments from manager Nuno Espirito Santo over his ‘changed’ relationship with club owner Evangelos Marinakis. Reports coming out on the issue later pointed out that the manager’s issues lie with the new head of football, Edu Gaspar, rather than the Greek owner, with the main source of concerns being specific transfers.
There have been rumblings in the media that Marinakis could potentially sack Espirito Santo in the coming period, which might come across as a bitter blow for the team and the progress they have made. On the sporting side, Forest opened their Premier League campaign with a big win over Brentford, with a brace from Chris Wood and a debut strike from Dan Ndoye sealing three points.
The ideal objective is to fight for a top four/five place at the end of the campaign, and for that, Nuno Espirito Santo would target early wins to build momentum. A trip to Selhurst Park will prove tricky given how solid Glasner’s setup is at Crystal Palace, but Nottingham Forest will certainly come here targeting all three points.
Team News & Tactics
Crystal Palace
On the injury front, Crystal Palace have a few sitting out of the squad with fitness-related concerns. Daichi Kamada is the only one close to a return, while Eddie Nketiah, Chadi Riad, and Cheick Doucoure are all out of contention for the time being.
The expected departure of Eze will certainly change the way Crystal Palace play on the pitch. Signing a replacement of the same quality will be a difficult task for the club, and for now, Oliver Glasner must find internal solutions. The Austrian tactician used Justin Devenny in Eze’s position in midweek.
Glasner might be leaning towards naming a similar lineup on Sunday, with Devenny expected to feature again in the Eze position. Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta are expected to feature in the final third, while Adam Wharton and Will Hughes are set to retain their midfield spots.
There will be a few tweaks to the lineup in midfield as Tyrick Mitchell will replace Borna Sosa at left wing-back. Similarly, Jefferson Lerma could return to the bench as Chris Richards could take his place in the back-three, where they will continue to play Liverpool-linked Marc Guehi until he has a deal in place to leave Crystal Palace.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell, Sarr, Devenny; Mateta
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo has overseen a few departures and a fresh set of new faces during the summer, and he could have three of his new signings in the squad for Sunday. Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee, and Arnaud Kalimuendo are expected to make the matchday squad.
Nicolas Dominguez is the only absentee for Espirito Santo to contend with, and the Nottingham Forest manager has the option to name a strong lineup against Crystal Palace. There’s a high chance the manager names the same eleven that won against Brentford, with two-goal star Wood leading the line for the visitors.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White, and new arrival Ndoye will take their places behind Wood in the attacking setup. Ibrahima Sangare and Elliot Anderson worked well in a midfield tandem, as they will feature centrally for Forest. Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic are the centre-backs for Nottingham Forest, with Ola Aina and Neco Williams providing support from the full-back roles.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Key Stats
- Crystal Palace have drawn their last four home matches against Nottingham Forest in all competitions.
- Crystal Palace are on an 11-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
- Nottingham Forest are undefeated in their last ten matches against Crystal Palace in all competitions.
- Nottingham Forest were only third behind Liverpool and Arsenal in total points last season, away from home.
- Nottingham Forest have won 43 per cent of their Premier League matches under Nuno Espirito Santo (26 out of 60), with only Stuart Pearce enjoying a higher win rate as Forest boss in the competition (44 per cent, won 4 out of 9 games).
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
After a tremendous season where Chris Wood’s goals helped Nottingham Forest qualify for the UEFA Europa League, he has given them the edge to start the new campaign on a positive note. Two goals against Brentford will have brought back the confidence in the New Zealander, and he will look to improve his tally against Palace.
Nuno Espirito Santo will be tempted by the prospect of facing West Ham United next in the league, and for that, he would want a statement performance from his in-form centre-forward. Hence, all eyes will be on Wood when he leads the line for Forest against Palace.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 2-2 Nottingham Forest
On paper, Nottingham Forest may have the edge and are potentially the slight favourites to collect three points amid all the uncertainties at Crystal Palace. However, Oliver Glasner knows how to set up his squad for all occasions, and this won’t be any different.
Even though Nottingham Forest come into this clash in a better vein of form, Crystal Palace will look to starve off their attackers with a resilient defensive display. Despite losing Eberechi Eze, the hosts still have plenty of attackers who are a threat in transition, and this game has all the hallmarks of an entertaining draw. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw for Sunday’s clash at Selhurst Park.