Nottingham – Brighton : Preview & Prediction
Without a Premier League (PL) win since February (E3, P8), an immediate return to the Championship seems to await Nottingham Forest unless they can turn things around. The Tricky Trees twice came from behind in a 3-2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield, but their bravery was to no avail as they would end up empty-handed, leaving them in the red zone of the table.
Returning to the City Ground, where Forest have picked up five of their six wins this PL season, could happen at the ideal time, but if they are to get a morale-boosting win they will surely need to keep a clean sheet as well. That’s because all five of their home wins were accompanied by a clean sheet, but with just one and four draws in the last seven times they have hosted Brighton in league action (P2), a clean sheet is no guarantee that it will result in anything better than the 0-0 draw between the two clubs in their first clash this PL season.
Steve Cooper’s side will face Brighton on good form after they played a 120-minute match against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, which ended in a penalty shootout defeat. Manager Roberto De Zerbi believed his team “deserved the win” in that match, but must now put that disappointment behind them as they look to achieve the “goal of Europe” according to the Seagulls owner.
Interestingly, this will be Brighton’s fourth consecutive away game in the PL, but having won two of the last three (P1) proves that the Seagulls can come away immune on their travels. Only the top three clubs in the PL table have taken more points away from home this season than Brighton’s 25, and considering that De Zerbi’s side have won their last three midweek PL games (Tuesday – Thursday), betting against them against this particular opponent doesn’t look like the wisest decision.
Players to watch: Forest goalkeeper Keylor Navas has conceded goals in 11 consecutive games for an average of 2.2 goals conceded per game. Looking to add to Navas’ misery and put behind him his miss on the crucial penalty in the semifinal will be Solly March, who has seen all four of his away goals this PL season be registered within 20 minutes of halftime.
Key Fact: Prior to this matchday, Forest are the only PL side to have lost two home games this season in which they were ahead at half-time.
Nottingham – Brighton : Betting Tips
Brighton – Win Odds: 1.70
