NFFC (Nottingham Forest) vs FUL (Fulham) Match Prediction
England
City Ground
Fulham’s result was better, as they beat Newcastle United in their last game. The Cottagers were easily the better side on the day. They opened the scoring early through Raul Jimenez in the fifth minute. Smith-Rowe made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute. The Magpies came back into the game just after halftime, with Harvey Barnes netting. Fulham stayed in the game and found the winner in the second minute of added time through substitute Reiss Nelson.
Facts:
- Nottingham Forest has good memories of this exact fixture last season, as they ended up 3-1 winners on the day. It was a big victory for Nuno and his men, as prior to this game, the Tricky Trees had lost 4 games on the trot to Fulham at the City Ground. Forest now has a chance to win back-to-back league games against the Cottagers for the first time since 2014/15.
- Fulham have always had a very positive league record against Nottingham Forest. The Cottagers have won a total of 42 league games against Nottingham Forest. This is the highest number of wins Fulham has against any opponent in the league format of the game. Fulham go into this winning 8 of their last 10 games against the Tricky Trees.
- Nottingham Forest, alongside Arsenal, Manchester City, and Brighton, are one of the 4 teams to yet taste defeat in their first 5 games this season. Forest in the top flight of English football have never managed to avoid defeat in their first 6 games, and doing so on Sunday would be a record. However, in the championship, they did avoid defeat in the first 6 games of the 2014/15 season.
- Fulham this season have had a good output from their attackers when it comes to testing keepers from the opposite team. Fulham this season have had 28 shots on target and sit 4th in the list. Only Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool have more shots on target than the Cottagers. They currently average 5.6 shots on target, and that is the highest tally they have managed to hit in their Premier League history.
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham Chance of Winning
The recent head-to-head record between Nottingham Forest and Fulham has favoured the team visiting from the capital. In the last 16 games in all competitions between these two teams, Nottingham Forest has won 6 games; 1 game has ended in a draw with Fulham winning 9 times.
Nottingham Forest now have to keep building on this good start. If Forest can back their performances up by being consistent against teams like Fulham at home, then they could even make a push for the top half of the Premier League. That would be a big achievement for the Tricky Trees, and it will be something that Nuno Santo will surely be looking for. The last thing they will want is dropping momentum from this start and once again fighting for relegation.
Fulham, on the other hand, as usual, needs to get better away from home. They have to be more adventurous in their approach. The attack misses way too many chances. A draw here will be a good result; however, considering how much Fulham spent this year, they themselves will want to finish in the top half, and for that, teams like Forest have to be beaten.
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham Predictions and Betting Tips
The oddsmakers have labelled this tie between Fulham and Nottingham Forest as a very close affair. The oddsmakers have gone on to back Nottingham Forest by a tiny margin to overcome Fulham in this game. Nottingham Forest has started this season on a very fine note, so it is quite surprising to see how they are not clear favourites, especially whilst they play at home. Forest is yet to be defeated this season. The only reason we see the oddsmakers not backing Forest considerably is due to their performance at home. Forest have won both of their games away from home, whereas at home they have drawn both of their games. Fulham, meanwhile, do well at home, but they are yet to win away from home in the 2 games they have played.
Nottingham Forest has been really good away from home, but the major reason why they have struggled at home is their goal conversion form. Forest has scored 1 goal on average from an average expected goals ratio of 1.66. They are massive underperformers in terms of the expected goals. The same issue away from home is faced by Fulham. The chance of conversion is worse. They have scored 0.5 goals on average from an expected goal average of 1. Those are disastrous numbers, to begin with.
Based on the above numbers, here are our predictions and tips for this game. Our call is for Nottingham Forest to beat Fulham in this game on Saturday. We expect Nottingham Forest to score 2 or more goals in this game. Fulham have conceded 1 goal on average away from home; hence, we do see Forest getting at least 2 in this game. We do see this game having few goals in it; hence, our call is for both teams to score a combined tally of under 2.5 goals. Fulham and Nottingham Forest are both very low-scoring teams. 5 of the last games that both teams have played have been under 2.5 goals scored. Hence we see this game as being conservative in terms of goals.
Chris Wood continues to be a very dependable goal scorer for Nottingham Forest ever since Nuno Santo took charge. The Kiwi striker has scored 14 goals in his last 21 games under the Portuguese manager. Wood has a 29% goal conversion rate, burying those 14 goals in 48 chances. This season, however, he has looked very sharp, netting in multiple games, including the last one against Brighton and Hove Albion. We expect that record to continue and expect him to score on Saturday. Chris Wood does like to play at the City Ground and has quite a good record there.
Sasa Lukic is a player who gets involved in the dark arts of the game. Lukic playing as a deep-lying midfielder does tend to get booked way too often. The midfielder averages 2.4 fouls per game and is a yellow card magnet. Lukic has already been booked three times in five Premier League games this season. A forest away from home is a tough task. Lukic could have a tough game in midfield, and that is why we do believe that booking him getting another yellow card is quite realistic.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Raul Jimenez are good players to back when it comes to registering shots on target. Both are quite selfish in their approach with goal-scoring traits. Raul Jimenez has done really well since his reintroduction into the Fulham lineup. The Mexican striker has two goals to his name already, but his ability to keep opposition keepers on their toes is his strength. Jimenez averages 1.2 shots on target, and that is why in this game we back him to at least get the opposition keeper to make 1 save.
Callum Hudson-Odoi also loves to cut inside and get a shot. Fulham are not the strongest on their right-hand side, and in this game, we can see the Forest winger having a good day. Hudson Odoi averages 0.8 shots on target in the Premier League this season. We back him to have 1 shot on target as well in this game.
Final Prediction:Nottingham Forest to beat Fulham
Nottingham Forest Players List
Goalkeepers: Matt Turner, Matz Sels, Carlos Miguel dos Santos Pereira
Defenders: Joe Worrall, Nico Williams, Andrew Omobamidele, Omar Richards, Harry Toffolo, Willy Boly, Ola Aina, Zach Abbott, Nikola Milenkovic, Alex Moreno
Midfielders: Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolas Dominquez, Ryan Yates, Danilo, Josh Bowler, Elliot Anderson, Ibrahim Sangare
Attackers: Taiwo Awoniyi, Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Eric Moreira, Joao Silva, Emmanuel Dennis, Ui-Jo Hwang.
Nottingham Forest Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Matz Sels |
Goalkeeper |
|
Nico Williams |
Defender |
|
Willy Boly |
Defender |
|
Murillo |
Defender |
|
Alex Moreno |
Defender |
|
Ibrahima Sangare |
Midfielder |
|
Ryan Yates |
Midfielder |
|
Morgan Gibbs-White |
Midfielder |
|
Callum Hudson-Odoi |
Midfielder |
|
Chris Wood |
Attacker |
|
Anthony Elanga |
Attacker |
Nottingham Forest Team Form(Last five games): D, W, D, D, W
Fulham Player List
Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno, Steven Benda
Defenders: Kenny Tete, Calvin Bassey, Timothy Castagne, Issa Diop, Antonee Robinson, Kevin Mbabu, Jorge Cuenca, Ryan Sessegnon, Joachim Andersen
Midfielders: Harrison Reed, Tom Cairney, Andreas Pereira, Sasa Lukic, Emile Smith Rowe, Sander Berge
Attackers:Harry Wilson, Carlos Vinicius, Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore, Rodrigo Muniz, Alex Iwobi, Jay Stansfield
Fulham Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Bernd Leno |
Goalkeeper |
|
Kenny Tete |
Defender |
|
Issa Diop |
Defender |
|
Calvin Bassey |
Defender |
|
Antonee Robinson |
Defender |
|
Sasa Lukic |
Midfielder |
|
Andreas Pereira |
Midfielder |
|
Emile Smith Rowe |
Midfielder |
|
Adama Traore |
Attacker |
|
Raul Jimenez |
Attacker |
|
Alex Iwobi |
Attacker |
Fulham Team Form(Last five games): W, D, D, W, L
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham Head-To-Head
Matches Played:106
Nottingham Forest wins:33
Fulham wins:45
Matches are drawn:28
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham Betting Odds
Nottingham Forest to win the match (PARIMATCH): 2.50.
Fulham to win the match (PARIMATCH): 2.97.
Match to end in a draw (PARIMATCH): 3.32.
The betting odds have been calculated based on team performances in previous matches, player records etc. Odds are subject to change.
Our Prediction
Favorites to win
Nottingham Forest
Parimatch