England Premier League
Sunday 5th March 2023
Kick off at 2pm
Venue: City Ground
Match Preview:
Nottingham Forest are in 13th place and they would have taken that easily at the beginning of the season however the catch is how close the bottom half of the table is and with 25 points they are only 4 points from the drop.
Recent form has been worrying for Forest with just one win in their last 5 and no wins in their last three. Last weekend they were thrashed 4-0 at West Ham but away form has not been the clubs forte and they have looked much more comfortable at home. At the City Ground overall form is so good that they would rank in 9th place on home form alone. Forest have gone unbeaten at home in over four months and collected 19 points from 36. They have recently beaten Leicester and Leeds here and in their last home game drew with the champions Manchester City.
Everton look to be in trouble and while new manager Sean Dyche did have an immediate effect as they beat Arsenal in his first game in the reverse played in midweek the Toffees were handed a 4-0 defeat. In Dyche’s first 5 games in charge he has overseen 3 defeats already and Everton come into this weekend in the bottom three. A win here and they would have a great chance of escaping the relegation zone for this weekend but they need to find consistency and find it quick with the games running out.
Everton’s recent record isn’t easy reading for fans with 3 defeats from their last four although they have had to navigate some diffcult games. Facing Arsenal twice and Liverpool away. However the worry is the lack of goals and having no real quality up front. In their last 2 games Dyche’s side have scored zero and conceded 6 and that is a real concern. Away from home it’s just one win from 12 games and just six goals scored in that time.
Team News:
Nottingham Forest: Serge Aurier remains a doubt with a calf strain and he is just 50/50 to return and is set not to be risked. Dean Henderson has suffered a setback with thigh injury and could miss the next 4 weeks. Scott McKenna is not expected back until next month with his hamstring. Moussa Niakhate will miss out again due to a lack of match fitness. Lodi Renan will be assessed with a recent knock but could return. Ryan Yates will be assessed for a lack of match fitness. Omar Richards, Cheikhou Kouyate, Willy Boly, Giulian Biancore and Taiwo Awoniyi are all out long term.
Everton: Dominic Calvert-Lewin has recovered from injury but it hasn’t been decided if he will be risked for this match and remains at 50/50, he will be assessed. James Garner has fitness issues but could get the nod. Nathan Patterson misses out with fitness issues but could return next week after a lengthy lay off and Andros Townsend remains sidelined with a lack of match fitness.
Nottm Forest vs Everton Head to Head:
The teams have not played here since 1998 when Everton won 2-0.
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture the teams drew 1-1.
The last 5 meetings have all been under 2.5 goals.
Nottm Forest vs Everton Prediction:
In judging how this game will go we first need to take away the h2h and the extensive injury list that Nottingham Forest has. Put simply these two teams haven’t really played each other on a consistent basis since the 1990s so it makes little sense looking for patterns from almost 30 years ago. Nottingham Forest has one of the largest squads in European football let alone the Premier League and so the injuries you see above while they would affect most teams haven’t had the same problem for Forest. They remain an average side who are albeit strong at home and this is a diffciult game for Everton.
Better teams than Everton have lost here and it would be a huge bonus for Dyche’s side to get the 3 points but Everton’s form is such that it is easier to believe that points will be coming at home rather than away as we enter the final three months of the season. This could be a close game but the lack of goals upfront for Everton is a real concern and they may well end up losing yet again.
Nottm Forest vs Everton Betting Tips:
Draw no bet (Nottingham Forest) at 1.83
Anytime goalscorer: Brennan Johnson at 3.25
Under 2.5 goals at 1.50
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