Nottingham Forest will be looking to make it three straight wins in the Premier League when they host Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
After a poor start to the season, things have finally started to click for Nottingham Forest under Sean Dyche, and the 54-year-old tactician will be looking to guide them to their fourth win of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The home team are 16th on the table with 12 points in their 12 outings. They had a very disappointing start as they could only win one out of their first 10 outings. However, consecutive wins in recent outings have helped the Midlands outfit climb out of the drop zone.
The Tricky Trees are heading into this fixture on the back of a sensational 3-0 win over Liverpool in the Premier League, and they backed it up with a 3-0 triumph over Malmo FF in the UEFA Europa League a few days back. Given their recent form, the Tricky Trees will be confident about giving Brighton a run for their money.
Meanwhile, the visitors are sixth on the points table with 19 points in their 12 outings, thanks to five wins, four draws, and three defeats. The Seagulls have won three out of their last five league outings.
Brighton are heading into this fixture on the back of a 2-1 win over Brentford. Not only did they dominate the proceedings, but Fabian Hurzeler’s team also came from a goal behind to secure all three points. They will also be confident about securing the three points in this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
The home team will be without the services of Douglas Luiz, Ola Aina, Chris Wood, and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Meanwhile, Morgan Gibbs-White is a major doubt for this fixture, while Murillo might not be risked in this outing after being taken off in their last outing.
Nottingham Forest will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Matz Sels will feature in goal. Neco Williams and Nicolo Savona will be the two full-backs, while Nikola Milenkovic will pair up with Morato in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson will form the double pivot. They will look to shield the backline and ensure they control the tempo of the game. Dan Ndoye and Nicolas Dominguez will feature on the flanks, while James McAtee should take up the number ten role. Igor Jesus will lead the line for Nottingham Forest against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, McAtee, Dominguez; Igor Jesus
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion will be without the services of Adam Webster, Solly March, James Milner, and Kaoru Mitoma this weekend when they take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The Seagulls will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Bart Verbruggen will be in goal. Mats Wieffer and Ferdi Kadioglu will be the full-backs, while Jan Paul van Hecke will pair up Lewis Dunk in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba will form the double pivot in the middle of the pitch. They will look to shield the backline and ensure they do not allow Nottingham Forest to dominate the proceedings.
Georginio Rutter will be the attacking midfielder, while Diego Gomez and Yankuba Minteh will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attack. Former Manchester United star Danny Welbeck will spearhead the Brighton & Hove Albion attack against Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Gomez; Welbeck
Key Stats
- The Tricky Trees have won each of their last three outings across competitions.
- Brighton & Hove Albion suffered a massive 7-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground last time out.
- Nottingham Forest have not suffered a defeat in any of their last five outings.
- After a run of 10 games without a defeat, Brighton & Hove Albion suffered back-to-back defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal.
- However, the Seagulls are now unbeaten in their last three outings across competitions.
Player to Watch
Danny Welbeck
While Welbeck had a rather slow start to the season, he has bagged seven goals in his last seven league outings. The 35-year-old has been in fine form, and he will be eager to carry on in a similar fashion when they square up against Nottingham Forest.
The veteran English striker has scored seven goals in his last seven Premier League games, and only Erling Haaland (8) has found the back of the net more than him since the first game in this run in September.
It is already Welbeck’s second highest scoring season with Brighton & Hove Albion, following his ten from last season. The Englishman has been the go-to man for Fabian Hurzeler this season, and he will be hoping the 84-goal Premier League striker gets his team over the line here.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Nottingham Forest come into this fixture with renewed confidence after back-to-back 3-0 victories, and Sean Dyche will believe his side are finally finding the rhythm needed to steer clear of the relegation scrap.
The home side’s defensive structure has tightened up, their attacking transitions look sharper, and recent performances suggest they can trouble a Brighton & Hove Albion side that has shown glimpses of vulnerability this season.
Brighton, however, remain a dangerous and technically polished outfit under Fabian Hurzeler. The Seagulls have rediscovered their stride after consecutive setbacks and head into the clash unbeaten in three outings, buoyed by their comeback win over Brentford. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw between the two teams.
