Everton and Nottingham Forest will be eager to build on the positive results earlier this week when they clash at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League season will resume this weekend with Gameweek 15 on Saturday. The action on the day will start with the game between Aston Villa and Arsenal before continuing with five simultaneous matches, including Everton vs Nottingham Forest at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton’s progress under David Moyes has continued this season, as six wins and three draws in five matches thus far have helped them climb into the top half of the table. The latest success was a 1-0 win over Bournemouth, with Jack Grealish scoring the match-winning goal.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest’s recent ascent resumed earlier this week as they clinched a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers to widen the gap to the relegation zone. The Tricky Trees are now three points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham United, and another positive result can help them climb a spot in the Premier League standings.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a 2-0 win for Nottingham Forest, with Chris Wood and Morgan Gibbs-White finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
David Moyes has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Everton manager will be bereft of the services of over half a dozen players vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Tim Iroegbunam is the latest player on the sidelines, as he will serve a one-game ban after picking up his fifth yellow card of the 2025/26 Premier League season earlier this week against Bournemouth. Idrissa Gueye is the other player who will serve a suspension after being sent off against Manchester United last week.
Meanwhile, Michael Keane missed the game against Bournemouth due to a knock. The veteran English defender accompanies Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring), Seamus Coleman (thigh), Nathan Patterson (ankle), and Merlin Rohl (hernia) in the treatment room.
Jordan Pickford is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The backline will feature James Garner, Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, and Vitaliy Mykolenko.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carlos Alcaraz in the double pivot. Dwight McNeil will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye being the two wide attackers. Finally, Thierno Barry will lead the line for Everton against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Garner; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Dewsbury-Hall, Alcaraz; Ndiaye, McNeil, Grealish; Barry
Nottingham Forest
Like his counterpart in the Everton dugout, Sean Dyche has a new issue to worry about ahead of the trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Nottingham Forest manager may be without as many as nine first-team players on Saturday.
Dyche is sweating over Morgan Gibbs-White’s fitness after he picked up a lower back injury earlier this week. The English international and Murillo (illness) face late fitness tests to determine their availability. However, Angus Gunn (knee), Ola Aina (hamstring), Oleksandr Zinchenko (groin), Douglas Luiz (hamstring), Dilane Bakwa (thigh), Taiwo Awoniyi (knock), and Chris Wood (knee) remain in the treatment room.
Matz Sels is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Nottingham Forest lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Everton on Saturday. The backline will feature Nicolo Savona, Nikola Milenkovic, Morato, and Neco Williams.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson in the double pivot. Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the no. 10 role if he is fit and available. Finally, Igor Jesus will spearhead the Nottingham Forest attack against Everton, with Dan Ndoye and Callum Hudson-Odoi being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Key Stats
- Everton have lost only two of their last 11 Premier League games vs Nottingham Forest (W7 D2); both those defeats have come in home matches (0-1 in January 1999, 0-2 last season). Meanwhile, following their 2-0 victory in the corresponding fixture in the 2024/25 campaign, the Tricky Trees are aiming to win successive away league games against Everton for the first time.
- Everton have lost two of their last three Premier League home games (W1), more than they had in their previous 13 (W5 D7 L1). Their defeats this term have been 0-3 against Tottenham and 1-4 against Newcastle United. Only in 1993/94 (3) and 2022/23 (3) have they lost more Premier League home games by three or more goals.
- No team has produced fewer shots on target than Everton in the Premier League this season (41). The Toffees average of 2.9 shots on target per game, which is their lowest on record in a single campaign (since 1997/98).
- Nottingham Forest have won three of their last four Premier League games (L1), as many as they had in their previous 18 (D5 L10). Having conceded in 13 consecutive league games on the road between January and October, the Tricky Trees have now won their two most away ties by an aggregate score of 4-0.
- Sean Dyche has only won more Premier League games against Bournemouth (8) and Crystal Palace (8) than he has against Everton (6). Saturday’s clash will be his first meeting with his former side since leaving the Merseyside club in January.
Player to Watch
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
While Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Iliman Ndiaye were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Everton and Nottingham Forest at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Englishman has either scored (1) or assisted (1) a goal in his last two Premier League home games for Everton. Only with Blackpool in February/March 2020 has he had a hand in a goal in three consecutive home league appearances. With Iliman Ndiaye slightly off the boil in his recent outings, the onus will be on Dewsbury-Hall to deliver the goods this weekend.
Prediction
Everton 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Saturday’s match has all the makings to be a closely-contested affair between Everton and Nottingham Forest. However, the away side will have the chance to equal a record that a great Manchester United set several years ago.
Nottingham Forest won away games against Everton and Liverpool last season, and they have already won 3-0 at Anfield this term. The most recent team to win away against both Merseyside clubs in consecutive league campaigns were Manchester United in 2006/07 and 2007/08. So, the visitors will be eager to clinch three points, not just to pull further clear of the drop zone but also to set an unlikely record.
However, despite Everton’s recent shortcomings at home, troubling a solid Toffees backline will be a tall order for Nottingham Forest, although they may produce a moment of genius through Morgan Gibbs-White. Ultimately, there may not be much to separate the two sides, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw.
