NFFC (Nottingham Forest) vs WWFC (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Match Prediction
England
City Ground
Forest in their last Premier League game went behind early to an own goal scored by their defender in Murillo. Wood equalised with yet another good finish as Elanga’s cross fell straight into his path. Wood should have put Forest ahead as would not have got an easier chance to score. His attempt from close range came straight off the woodwork. Spurs took the game away from Forest in the 2nd half with goals from Van de Ven and Pedro Porro. Vicario in the end made some good saves to deny the likes of Williams, Wood and Elanga stopping them from bringing Forest back into the game. Forest suffered their 17th defeat of the season.
Wolves succumbed to a defeat against West Ham in their last game after starting so strongly. Wolves deservedly went in front after Sarabia converted from the spot. They couldn’t capitalise on that as they allowed West Ham to slowly creep back into the game. The Hammers got a penalty of their own in the 72nd minute which Paqueta converted to make it 1-1. Ward-Prowse’s corner went straight into the goal it was a sore sight for the Wolves fans to look at. Just when all hope was lost, Kilman in the 11th minute of added time headed in from a corner to make it 2-2. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was ruled out. Chirewa in the build-up of the goal was ruled offside. It was heartbreak for the Wolves in the end as they suffered their 5th loss of the season at the Molineux Stadium. It was their 13th loss overall in the competition.
Facts:
- Nottingham Forest have quite a poor record against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League format. Forest have won just 1 of their last 10 league games, drawing 4 and losing 5. In the Premier League, they are yet to win against them, drawing 2 and losing 1.
- Wolves last lost a League game to Forest away in 2013 when they were beaten 3-1 in the Championship. Since then they have not lost in any of their last 5 visits to the City Ground winning 3 and drawing 2.
- Nottingham Forest has lost the most Premier League games since the start of the year with 7 games. In terms of collecting points Wolves with 9 are the third worst team since the start of the calendar year with only Burnley and Sheffield United earning lesser points with 7 each.
Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Chance of Winning
The recent head-to-head record between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers has easily favoured the away teams on most occasions. In the last 17 games in all competitions between these two teams, Nottingham Forest has won 4 games, 5 games have ended in a draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers winning 8 times.
Nottingham Forest in their last game had their moments against Tottenham Hotspur. They went in toe-to-toe with them attacking-wise and did get an early goal. However, missed chances and soddy defending cost them the game in the end. Forest needs to defend better. There are too many gaps between the lines that attackers are exploiting. At home, they are a better defensive unit.
Wolves may not have the attack to penetrate this mediocre Forest defence. Gary O’Neil due to his limited options is playing defender Ait-Nouri as a winger. This indeed makes the Wolves less of a threat heading into this game. They will be praying that Cunha is 100% as his presence in the box gives Wolves an outlet. Plus, he is very good between the lines that could cause Forest trouble. Based on these facts we do believe that the home team has the better chance of winning this game.
Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Predictions and Betting Tips
Concerning the betting odds in this game, the oddsmakers have a favourite but it isn’t a hands-down pick. The odds do favour the home team in Nottingham Forest due to their better overall form and due to their playing at home this week. Both teams have identical records when it comes to playing home and away in this game. Forest are slowly building their home record as they avoid another late relegation scrap. The Tricky Trees from a 27% win rate 2 game weeks back have jumped to a 31% win ratio.
This has happened due to them consistently finding the back of the net due to their attacking presence. Forest averaged 1.44 goals a game at the City Ground this season from an expected goals ratio of 1.02. Wolves’ have been a very good team at home but their away win ratio is equal to that of Forest at home with them also having a 31% win rate. Wolverhampton Wanderers have scored 1.31 goals on average from an expected goals ratio of 1.15.
Based on the above stats, here are our predictions and tips for this game. We back both the Tricky Trees and Wolves to score in this game. Our call is for both teams to score a combined tally of under 4 goals. We do not believe this encounter will be a high-scoring one. Both teams have good attacks but they have often this season won by a small margin rather than scoring a lot of goals. In terms of the defensive numbers, we do not back any team to keep a clean sheet. Nottingham Forest has let in 1.44 goals a game on average having kept a clean sheet in just 13% of their games. Wolves on the other hand have been worse conceding 1.63 goals on average away from the Cottage this season. Nuno Santo’s men have managed to keep a clean sheet in just 13% of their games away from the Molineux Stadium. Both teams do have defensive frailties hence we back both attacks to get the better of each other.
We can see this game being quite an open affair, hence a lot of shots on each other’s goals come Saturday. Our tip is for Nottingham Forest to have more than 10 shots on Jose Sa’s goal. The Tricky Trees averaged 9.63 shots at the City Ground this season. They have registered an average of 4.75 shots on target at home. Our pick is for Chris Wood to have 2 or more shots on target due to him being the talisman up front.
Chris Wood continues to remain in good goal-scoring form for Nottingham Forest this season. Wood also has a brilliant record when it comes to scoring against Wolves in the Premier League. The Kiwi striker has netted 6 goals in his Premier League career against Wolves with him netting only more against West Ham with 7 goals. Wood already has 12 goals this season with his highest in a tally coming for Burnley with 14.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are missing a goal threat upfront with Cunha yet to start a game after he returned from injury. Hwang continues to remain out. However, we do believe that Cunha will be fit to start this game and if he does then we believe he will go in as the favourite to score. If Cunha is not fit enough to play then we back Sarabia.
Final Prediction:Nottingham Forest to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Nottingham Forest Players List
Goalkeepers: Matt Turner, Wayne Hennessey, Ethan Horvath, Odysseas Vlachodimos, George Shelvey
Defenders: Joe Worrall, Nico Williams, Harry Toffolo, Moussa Niakhate, Serge Aurier, Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Felipe, Ola Aina, Nuno Tavares, Gonzalo Montiel, Murillo
Midfielders: Orel Managala, Morgan Gibbs-White, Andrey Santos, Cheikhou Kouyate, Nicoloas Dominquez, Ryan Yates, Danilo, Brandon Aguilera,
Attackers: Taiwo Awoniyi, Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Divock Origi
Nottingham Forest Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Matt Turner |
Goalkeeper |
|
Gonzalo Montiel |
Defender |
|
Moussa Niakhate |
Defender |
|
Murillo |
Defender |
|
Ola Aina |
Defender |
|
Ibrahima Sangare |
Midfielder |
|
Danilo |
Midfielder |
|
Morgan Gibbs-White |
Midfielder |
|
Callum Hudson-Odoi |
Midfielder |
|
Taiwo Awoniyi |
Attacker |
|
Anthony Elanga |
Attacker |
Nottingham Forest Team Form(Last five games): L, W, D, D, L
Wolverhampton Wanderers Player List
Goalkeepers: Jose Sa, Dan Bentley, Tom King
Defenders: Rayan Ait-Nouri, Craig Dawson, Jonny, Nelson Semedo, Maximilian Kilman, Toti, Hugo Bueno, Matt Doherty
Midfielders: Mario Lemina, Boubacar Traore, Joao Gomes, Joe Hodge, Jean Bellegarde
Attackers: Pedro Neto, Raul Jimenez, Daniel Podence, Hee-Chan Hwang, Matheus Cunha, Sasa Kalajdzic, Pablo Sarabia, Fabio Silva
Wolverhampton Wanderers Playing XI
|
Player |
Role |
|
Jose Sa |
Goalkeeper |
|
Nelson Semedo |
Defender |
|
Craig Dawson |
Defender |
|
Maximilian Kilman |
Defender |
|
Rayan Ait-Nouri |
Defender |
|
Totti Gomes |
Defender |
|
Mario Lemina |
Midfielder |
|
Jean Bellegarde |
Midfielder |
|
Pablo Sarabia |
Attacker |
|
Tommy Doyle |
Attacker |
|
Matheus Cunha |
Attacker |
Wolverhampton Wanderers Team Form(Last five games): L, D, L, W, L
Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Head-To-Head
Matches Played:136
Nottingham Forest wins:45
Wolverhampton Wanderers wins:63
Matches are drawn:28
Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Betting Odds
Nottingham Forest to win the match (PARIMATCH): 2.18.
Wolverhampton Wanderers to win the match (PARIMATCH): 3.45.
Match to end in a draw (PARIMATCH): 3.50.
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
Cunha may just be back but they are still without the likes of Hwang and Neto. Forest on the other hand is putting results together because of their good attack. That’s the difference between the two sides heading into this game and in the end, it is goals that win you matches. Hence we back Forest to win this game 2-1.
Parimatch