On Tuesday, 2 April, as part of the 31st round of the Premier League, Nottingham Forest will host Fulham at their home. Nuno Espírito Santo's men are perilously close to the relegation zone and haven't tasted victory in their last six matches, while 'The Cottagers' are on a terrific run since February's commencement.
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Williams, Felipe, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Sangare; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Iwobi, Andreas Pereira, Willian; Rodrigo Muniz.
The clash will take place in Nottingham City Ground.
Occupying the 17th spot in the Premier League table tallying as many points as Luton ranked below them, Nottingham Forest will need to exert considerable effort to avoid the drop. Nuno Espírito Santo's squad has been underperforming in recent weeks, with just a single win in the last 10 rounds. After three consecutive losses (Aston Villa, Liverpool, and Brighton), the Reds achieved draws with Luton Town (1:1) and Crystal Palace (1:1) last weekend.
Despite Jean-Philippe Mateta's efforts and Eberchi Eze's missed opportunities, Chris Wood's superb header restored the balance in the second half. The hosts are struggling to create scoring opportunities, managing just two goals in the previous five matches. It's also noteworthy that Forest have been rather poor at home, fetching just 16 points from 15 home fixtures (fifth-lowest in the division), scoring 20 and conceding 22 goals.
Occupying the middle of the table, Fulham's season is winding down without much on stake. The 12th place Premier League side has no relegation worries and will need improbable circumstances to finish in a European spot. Nevertheless, Marco Silva's men have managed only two defeats in their last nine rounds, with four wins and three draws. After a 3:0 win over Tottenham, Fulham last weekend were involved in a thrilling 3:3 draw with bottom-club Sheffield United.
Thanks to VAR's offside call, the Blades couldn't go ahead 4:1, and Rodrigo Muniz's transfixing acrobatic kick in the extra time equalised the scoreline. It is worth mentioning that the visitors haven't been particularly productive on the road — just 11 points from 15 away games (ranking 15th), 17 goals scored and 32 conceded.
Earlier this season, Forest were beaten 5:0 at Craven Cottage, and Fulham have won four of their last five clashes.
Fulham, with just two away victories this season, will surely encounter difficulties against Forest, who are eager to fight for survival. Despite their current slump, Forest is capable of snatching points off any challenger at the City Ground. These sides haven't drawn in their last ten encounters — a streak likely to be broken this Tuesday.
Despite boasting an astonishing attacking line, Fulham's defensive woes have persisted since the start of the season. On average, they've conceded two goals per game on the road. My prediction – both teams to score.
Desperate for points, Forest will seek to impose their style — an abundance of set-pieces. My prediction: Forest to earn over 4.5 corners.
Both sides average 2.5 yellow cards per game, therefore, I predict over 3.5 cautions for the match.
I'll bet on a 1:1 draw.
# | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | G | PTS | |
1 | Liverpool | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 21:6 | 28 | |
2 | Manchester City | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 22:13 | 23 | |
3 | Chelsea | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 21:13 | 19 | |
4 | Arsenal | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 18:12 | 19 | |
5 | Nottingham | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 15:10 | 19 | |
6 | Brighton | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 19:15 | 19 | |
7 | Fulham | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16:13 | 18 | |
8 | Newcastle | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 13:11 | 18 | |
9 | Aston Villa | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 17:17 | 18 | |
10 | Tottenham | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 23:13 | 16 | |
11 | Brentford | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 22:22 | 16 | |
12 | Bournemouth | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 15:15 | 15 | |
13 | Manchester Utd | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12:12 | 15 | |
14 | West Ham | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | -6 | 13:19 | 12 | |
15 | Leicester | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -7 | 14:21 | 10 | |
16 | Everton | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -7 | 10:17 | 10 | |
17 | Ipswich | 11 | 1 | 5 | 5 | -10 | 12:22 | 8 | |
18 | Crystal Palace | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -7 | 8:15 | 7 | |
19 | Wolves | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 | -11 | 16:27 | 6 | |
20 | Southampton | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | -14 | 7:21 | 4 | |
1 | Brentford | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18:11 | 16 | |
2 | Liverpool | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11:3 | 15 | |
3 | Manchester City | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12:6 | 13 | |
4 | Brighton | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11:8 | 12 | |
5 | Tottenham | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16:6 | 12 | |
6 | Arsenal | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12:6 | 11 | |
7 | Fulham | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9:7 | 10 | |
8 | Newcastle | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5:3 | 10 | |
9 | Bournemouth | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8:4 | 10 | |
10 | Manchester Utd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7:8 | 10 | |
11 | Chelsea | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9:8 | 9 | |
12 | Nottingham | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7:6 | 8 | |
13 | Aston Villa | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7:6 | 8 | |
14 | West Ham | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8:10 | 7 | |
15 | Leicester | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5:7 | 5 | |
16 | Everton | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5:8 | 5 | |
17 | Crystal Palace | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3:7 | 5 | |
18 | Wolves | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9:14 | 4 | |
19 | Southampton | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4:8 | 4 | |
20 | Ipswich | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4:8 | 3 | |
1 | Liverpool | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10:3 | 13 | |
2 | Nottingham | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8:4 | 11 | |
3 | Manchester City | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10:7 | 10 | |
4 | Chelsea | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:5 | 10 | |
5 | Aston Villa | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10:11 | 10 | |
6 | Arsenal | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6:6 | 8 | |
7 | Fulham | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7:6 | 8 | |
8 | Newcastle | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8:8 | 8 | |
9 | Brighton | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8:7 | 7 | |
10 | Bournemouth | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7:11 | 5 | |
11 | Manchester Utd | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5:4 | 5 | |
12 | West Ham | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5:9 | 5 | |
13 | Leicester | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9:14 | 5 | |
14 | Everton | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5:9 | 5 | |
15 | Ipswich | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8:14 | 5 | |
16 | Tottenham | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7:7 | 4 | |
17 | Crystal Palace | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5:8 | 2 | |
18 | Wolves | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7:13 | 2 | |
19 | Brentford | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4:11 | 0 | |
20 | Southampton | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3:13 | 0 |
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