Nottingham Forest play host to Brentford at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Pre-season is now complete, and the new 2025/26 Premier League season is almost upon us, with Nottingham Forest welcoming Keith Andrews’ side to the East Midlands.
Forest have made some impressive signings, and perhaps the best bit of business they’ve done all summer is tying Morgan Gibbs-White to a new contract.
Dan Ndoye could make his debut after a £37m switch from Bologna, whilst James McAtee could also make the squad if his transfer from Manchester City goes through in time.
Ahead of the clash, Paul Merson has now predicted the score.
The City Ground pictured during Nottingham Forest vs Fiorentina
Photo by Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Paul Merson predicts Nottingham Forest vs Brentford
Brentford have endured a really tough summer with manager Thomas Frank departing for Tottenham Hotspur.
Top scorer Bryan Mbeumo has also left and so too has captain Christian Norgaard, so many have tipped them to go down.
Merson reckons it won’t be an easy game for Forest, though.
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“This is a hard game for Brentford under new manager Keith Andrews,” Merson told Sportskeeda.
“He played for me at Walsall, a really good professional. But replacing Thomas Frank isn’t an easy task. Brentford cannot afford to lose Yoane Wissa amid interest from Newcastle. If you take Bryan Mbeumo, who has joined Manchester United, and Wissa out of that team, they lose a major chunk of their firepower. I have a feeling Brentford will be able to keep him.
“I think Brentford will still be hard to beat and I think they have more than enough in their tank to stay up. I’m not sure about this game though!”
Merson predicted Forest to beat Brentford 1-0.
Nottingham Forest last five meetings vs Brentford
Forest haven’t enjoyed much success against Brentford over the last few years, as they’ve won just one of their last five clashes.
In fact, when Nuno’s side were chasing Champions League last season, Brentford shocked them with a damaging 2-0 win at the City Ground in May.
29 Apr 2023 Brentford v Nottingham Forest L 2-1 Premier League
01 Oct 2023 Nottingham Forest v Brentford D 1-1 Premier League
20 Jan 2024 Brentford v Nottingham Forest L 3-2 Premier League
21 Dec 2024 Brentford v Nottingham Forest W 0-2 Premier League
01 May 2025 Nottingham Forest v Brentford L 0-2 Premier League
Forest haven’t beaten the Bees at home since 2019, when they were both plying their trade in the Championship.
So, they’ll have to buck a near six-year trend to open their Premier League account with three points.