Premier League high-flyers Nottingham Forest take on Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, and we’ve got the latest team news and lineups, as well as a prediction included in our preview.
Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest Preview
Third place Nottingham Forest head down to the south coast to take on seventh place Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, with both sides looking to build on victories last time out.
The Cherries, now unbeaten in an impressive 11 straight matches across all competitions, ended Newcastle’s nine-game winning run in style last weekend, breezing to a 4-1 victory at St. James’ Park.
Justin Kluivert contributed with a stunning hat-trick, his second in the league this season, and an assist in that one, following on from Bournemouth’s 2-2 draw away at Chelsea in Gameweek 21.
Victory saw Andoni Iraola’s side rise up to seventh in the table, climbing above Aston Villa, while they are now just three points adrift of the top four and just seven points behind their counterparts in Gameweek 23.
Taking on the Cherries this weekend. 🍒 pic.twitter.com/XEReOYMP5h
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 23, 2025
Forest extended their unbeaten run to nine straight matches last weekend, defeating bottom-of-the-table Southampton 3-2. The Reds led 3-0 in the first-period, and despite a scare in the second-half, they held on for three points.
Thanks to the win, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men remained in third place come the end of the gameweek, while they are now level on points with second place Arsenal and six points behind table-toppers Liverpool.
Saturday’s meeting between Bournemouth and Forest will be the second time that they have met this term, with Chris Wood and Antoine Semenyo scoring in a 1-1 stalemate at the City Ground on the opening gameweek of the campaign.
Bournemouth Team News
The hosts are without attacking duo Enes Unal (knee) and Evanilson (foot), with the pair facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, while Marcos Senesi (thigh), Julian Araujo (thigh), James Hill (thigh) and Marcus Tavernier (thigh) are out too.
Adam Smith (unspecified), Alex Scott (knee) and Luis Sinisterra (thigh) are also expected to miss out, while Julio Soler is away on international duty with Argentina’s Under-20 squad.
Nottingham Forest Team News
Ibrahim Sangare remains ruled out for the visitors due to a thigh injury, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is a doubt and faces a late fitness test ahead of the clash after picking up a groin injury last time out.
If Hudson-Odoi is unable to feature, Portuguese winger Jota Silva, who came on in place of the Chelsea academy graduate against Southampton last weekend, will likely start on the left-hand side in his absence.
The remainder of the frontline should be unchanged, with Wood leading the line, Anthony Elanga on the right and Morgan Gibbs-White in attacking midfield. Ramon Sosa and Taiwo Awoniyi are options, however.
Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest Confirmed Lineups
Bournemouth Confirmed Lineup:
Kepa; Cook, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Adams, Christie; Brooks, Kluivert, Semenyo; Ouattara
Nottingham Forest Confirmed Lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Jota; Wood
Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites have Bournemouth as 21/20 favourites to prevail at the Vitality Stadium, while a victory for Forest is valued at 12/5 and a draw is priced at 27/10.
With both sides being in such impressive form lately, we find it incredibly tough to call this one in favour of either team, which is why we’re backing the pair to play out a 1-1 stalemate on the south coast.
This was the exact scoreline in the reverse fixture back in August, as well as in two of their previous three clashes prior to that. Can they make it four 1-1 draws in their last five Premier League meetings?
Prediction: Bournemouth 1-1 Nottingham Forest
