Brighton & Hove Albion travels north to snap a six-game losing streak, while Nottingham Forest looks to defend its unbeaten home run.
When Premier League play returns, there will be some enormous matchups to be excited about. When Nottingham Forest hosts Brighton & Hove Albion at City Ground, they’ll be fighting to maintain their incredible home run as Steve Cooper looks for a fifth straight win at home.
Only twice in their past five home games could Forest go undefeated in the regular season; the last time this happened was in 1995. With that impressive victory over Aston Villa, the Tricky Trees extended their unbeaten home run to eight games; however, they were unable to replicate that form when playing West Ham United away.
Following a Lucas Paqueta goal that put Forest behind, Anthony Elanga and Taiwo Awonyi made sure that Forest recovered. With his mastery of set pieces, James Ward-Prowse held them back and doomed them to yet another away loss.
Even with that loss prior to the international break, Nottingham Forest is still eight points clear of Luton Town in 17th place and out of the relegation zone. Brighton is coming to town, and Cooper wants to get things going again at home.
Ahead of a challenging away match against Nottingham Forest, Roberto De Zerbi will undoubtedly demand answers from his players. If Brighton loses for the seventh straight game without finding three points, they might face more and more pressure.
As more mistakes threaten to ruin their hopes of finishing in the top four, Brighton will be looking to snap their losing streak of six league games. They now trail Tottenham, who are in fourth place, by seven points as a result of their inability to win games. But De Zerbi might try to get closer to that margin if they start winning.
When Sheffield United came to the Amex, many predicted Brighton would snap their losing streak. When Simon Adingra scored the first goal in the sixth minute, everything appeared to be going well. After Jayden Bogle’s cross found Adam Webster’s net, the Seagulls’ winless streak was extended. Mahmoud Dahoud’s dismissal halfway through the second half gave the Blades some hope.
News & Strategies for the Team
Forest of Nottingham
Taiwo Awoniyi, the team’s top scorer, will miss a few months due to a groyne injury that required surgery, according to Steve Cooper. Both the player, who has been outstanding since the start of the season, and Forest have suffered a severe blow to their campaign.
A hamstring injury sustained by center-back Murillo during the West Ham United match raises additional concerns about the squad. After a scare of a knee injury, Anthony Elanga also underwent a scan. However, the former winger for Manchester United has since resumed training and is ready to contribute this weekend.
Danilo left the West Ham game with a limp, but he is ready to start against Brighton and has resumed full training. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Felipe, and Gonzalo Montiel are not on the team. The latter has resumed training but will not be participating.
Willy Boly, at the back, is probably going to fill in for Murillo and play central defence with Moussa Niakhate. Moving ahead, it seems that Odysseas Vlachodimos has taken American Matt Turner’s position in goal and will stick with him. In Awoniyi’s absence, Chris Wood is anticipated to be the line leader.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vlachodimos; Aina, Boly Niakhate, Toffolo; Sangare, Mangala, Danilo; Gibbs-White, Wood, Elanga
Albion, Brighton & Hove
Due to a mix of suspensions and injuries, Roberto De Zerbi appears to be missing at least nine first-team players. After serving the first of his three-match suspension, Mahmoud Dahoud will likely return to the pitch with Billy Gilmour in central midfield and Carlos Baleba.
Long-term absentees Danny Welbeck, Solly March, and Julio Enciso are among the players with serious questions about their fitness; evaluations are scheduled for the weekend’s game. Before their season hits its peak, De Zerbi won’t want to take any chances, so he’ll probably rest the questionable players.
Kaoru Mitoma is back in the starting lineup, this time on the left side, and Simon Adingra could take Facundo Buonanotte’s place on the right wing. De Zerbi might be reluctant to play Igor as his left-back in favour of Pervis Estupinan at the back. He’ll approach Lewis Dunk similarly, with Adam Webster and Jan Paul van Hecke probably playing key roles.
Even though De Zerbi made a brief appearance for the Republic of Ireland against New Zealand, there are still questions about whether he will start for Evan Ferguson. He can use Ansu Fati in that attacking midfield position behind the centre forward and Joao Pedro as his primary striker.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Webster, Van Hecke, Igor; Baleba, Gilmour; Adingra, Fati, Mitoma; Pedro
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last eight home games and could go unbeaten in their first five of a Premier League season for the second time since 1995.
- Nottingham Forest have seen over 2.5 goals in five of their last six home matches against Brighton in all competitions.
- Brighton are winless in their last six games and have drawn all their last three in the Premier League.
- Brighton have scored in 28 successive Premier League games.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in their last five games across all competitions.
