Nottingham Forest will host Sunderland at the City Ground on Saturday evening, with both teams eager to end their winless runs.
Nottingham Forest have picked up just one all season, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly in the game vs Sunderland at the City Ground on Saturday. Ange Postecoglou has a good team, and this is a golden opportunity for his charges to get things right at home.
Meanwhile, Sunderland have picked up two wins and two draws from their five Premier League matches so far, and the Wearside club’s fans will be very impressed with their start to the Premier League season. The Black Cats will look to secure a respectable finish in the table this season, and they will look to grind out a positive result here.
The newly promoted Premier League have an outstanding record against Nottingham Forest with four wins and a draw from the last six meetings. It will be interesting to see if they can file further misery on a struggling home team and grind out a good result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Nicolas Dominguez is ruled out with a knock, and Ola Aina will miss out with a hamstring problem. Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Sunderland, with Matz Sels in goal.
Neco Williams and Oleksandr Zinchenko will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back and help out going forward. At the heart of the defence, Murillo will start alongside Nikola Milenkovic.
As for the midfield unit, Ibrahim Sangare will add physicality and drive to the side. Elliot Anderson will start alongside him in the double pivot, and the English international will look to add defensive cover and control.
Morgan Gibbs-White will add creativity and goals to the side in the final third. Dan Ndoye and Callum Hudson-Odoi will start on the flanks, and they will look to add pace, flair, and unpredictability going forward. Finally, Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest vs Sunderland on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Murillo, Milenkovic, Zinchenko; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Sunderland
Reinildo Mandava begins a three-game ban after his dismissal against Aston Villa. Habib Diarra has been ruled out until December after having surgery on a groin injury. Leo Hjlede, Romaine Mundle, Aji Alese, Luke O’Nien, and Dennis Cirkin are also sidelined.
Sunderland will start in a 4-3-3 formation vs Nottingham Forest, with Robin Roefs in goal. Trai Hume and Arthur Masuaku will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Meanwhile, Nordi Mukiele will start alongside Dan Ballard in the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Chris Rigg will add creativity and control in the middle of the park alongside Granit Xhaka a nd Noah Sadiki. The midfield trifecta will add defensive, cover and composure.
Enzo Le Fee and Chemsdine Taldi Will start on the flanks, and they will look to add pace, flair, and goals from the wide areas. Finally, Wilson Isidor will spearhead the Sunderland attack vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Roefs; Hume, Ballard, Mukiele, Masuaku; Sadiki, Rigg, Xhaka; Talbi, Isidor, Le Fee
Key Stats
- 11 goals have been scored in the last six matches between Nottingham Forest and Sunderland.
- Sunderland have four wins and a draw in six matches (L1) against Nottingham Forest.
- Nottingham Forest are winless in their last four Premier League matches.
- Sunderland have two wins from five Premier League matches thus far in the 2025/26 season.
- Wilson Isidor has scored three of Sunderland’s six goals in the Premier League this season. It is the most goals a player has scored in the Black Cats’ first five games of a top-flight campaign since Steven Fletcher in 2012/13 (5).
Player to Watch
Chris Wood
The Nottingham Forest striker was outstanding last season, and he will need to step up and deliver if they want to grind out all three points here. The Tricky Trees have been quite disappointing in the Premier League, and Ange Postecoglou need his key players to produce strong performances here.
Wood has the quality to make a big difference in the final third with his link-up play, movement and finishing ability. It remains to be seen whether the veteran striker can step up and be the difference between the two teams.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Sunderland
Both teams will look to pick up a win here, and this will be a close contest. Neither side is expected to sit back and defend. This will be an open game with a fair few chances for either outfit.
Both Nottingham Forest and Sunderland are likely to get on the score sheet, but it will be difficult to separate them. The two teams could cancel each other out and share the spoils here at the end of a score stalemate.
