Nottingham Forest vs Brighton verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets
- George Dempsey
- 25 April 2023
Relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest will be looking to avoid a fifth straight defeat against a Brighton side dreaming of Europa League football.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Premier League, Wednesday, April 26, Kick-off 7:30pm, live on BT Sport 4.
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Key stats
Nottingham Forest have an undesirable record of three wins and eight losses since beating Leeds 1-0 in January.
Both teams have scored in seven of Forest's last 10 Premier League matches.
Brighton have conceded a goal in 13 of their 15 away league matches, with eight of those opponents scoring at least twice.
Brighton away games have averaged 3.6 goals per game this season, with Albion scoring in all but one of their outings.
Team news
Nottingham Forest have the busiest treatment room in the Premier League. Jack Colback (head) will be assessed in the build-up to the game.
Guilian Biancone (knee), Chris Wood (thigh), Willy Boly (thigh), Serge Aurier (unknown), Ryan Yates (shoulder), Gustavo Scarpa (knee), Cheikhou Kouyate (thigh), Dean Henderson (thigh) and Omar Richards (calf/shin) have all been ruled out for Forest.
Scott McKenna is the latest victim with a shoulder injury picked up against Liverpool.
Adam Lallana (thigh), Jeremy Sarmiento (ankle), Tariq Lamptey (knee) and Evan Ferguson (ankle) are all set to miss out for Brighton.
Forest vs Brighton verdict
Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Anfield represents another loss for Forest in their battle against relegation, but it was a performance that they can be proud of.
Brighton weren't in Premier League action over the weekend, but they did suffer an FA Cup semi-final defeat against Manchester United at Wembley.
Nottingham Forest's injury crisis has deepened again. Scott McKenna has joined the ranks of the walking wounded after he picked up a shoulder injury at Anfield, severely limiting Steve Cooper's options at the back.
Moussa Niakhite will make his ninth appearance of the season at the heart of the defence, flanked by Felipe on his right and most likely Joe Worrall on his left. That leaves Steve Cook as the only backup, although he wasn't on the bench at Anfield.
Forest were able to call on plenty of attacking reinforcement in the loss to Liverpool with Sam Surridge, Brennan Johnson, Emmanuel Dennis and Andre Ayew coming off the bench to influence proceedings.
Danilo, typically a defence-minded midfielder, was deployed in a more advanced role alongside Morgan Gibbs-White but spent most of his time attempting to disrupt Liverpool.
The response that Brighton's baiting style of play is designed to elicit is a contrast to the way Nottingham Forest have approached games against the top sides.
Whilst the hosts will be happy to condense the pitch and press Albion as they approach the halfway line, Brighton will be extremely patient, using possession in deep areas to tempt Forest to press.
Although it's fascinating to watch, it does have its flaws. Brighton have kept just two clean sheets on their travels this season. In fact, 13 of their 15 hosts have scored, with eight of those finding the net at least twice.
Strugglers Bournemouth and West Ham are the only sides not to find the net when hosting Brighton this season. Despite their defensive struggles, sides in the bottom half haven't been able to slow Brighton down.
Brighton have only taken nine points from teams in the top half of the table. Conversely, they've picked up 40 of their 49-point total against teams in the bottom half, winning 12 and drawing four.
Given their impressive record against the bottom half and the difference in quality, it's fair to expect a Brighton win. Forest are scrapping to stay in the Premier League and will be given chances by Brighton, so goals also seem likely.
