A new Premier League season commences for Nottingham Forest and Brentford on Sunday afternoon as they go head-to-head at the City Ground.
It will be the Bees' fifth consecutive season in the top-flight since earning promotion via the Championship play-offs in 2021, and potentially the toughest after a big summer of change.
Keith Andrews will take charge of his first professional game as a head coach, having previously been the club's set-piece coach, after replacing now Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank in June.
He'll lead out a team without 20-goal Bryan Mbeumo after his club-record sale to Manchester United, captain Christian Norgaard, who joined Arsenal, and 19-goal Yoane Wissa as he attempts to force a move.
It has been a testing first two months, with pre-season preparations also disrupted by absentees and injuries; though the Bees did beat QPR and earn two draws against Gil Vicente and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Forest, themselves, have had a far from ideal pre-season, with NunoEspirito Santo**** conceding that they are 'very far' from where the team should be in terms of preparation, planning, and squad.
Despite benefitting from Crystal Palace's failed appeal following their demotion to the Conference League, subsequently promoting Forest to the Europa League, the uncertainty has disrupted their squad planning.
In turn, it has seen a pre-season that will have raised concern, in which Forest were involved in five 0-0 draws, two defeats, and scored just one goal in seven matches, which came in a 3-1 loss to Fulham.
Goals were not an issue when this weekend's opponents met last season, however, as Forest won 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium in December before the Bees enacted revenge with a 2-0 of their own in April.
Team News
Nottingham Forest
Espirito Santo has an almost full squad at his disposal to begin the new campaign with after an injury-free pre-season.
Nicolas Dominguez is the sole absentee. The midfielder underwent surgery on a meniscus injury sustained against Chelsea in May during the summer and will be unavailable until after the international break.
Forest's £34 million signing from Bologna Dan Ndoye is in contention to make his Premier League debut, alongside former Botafogo duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha after their summer arrivals.
The club announced the signing of Omari Hutchinson on a five-year contract from Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon, but he is not expected to be involved.
Brentford
Caiohmin Kelleher and Kevin Schade will undergo last fitness tests to determine their availability after the pair missed parts of pre-season due to knocks sustained in training.
Should Kelleher pass, then he will be in line to make his Brentford debut after transferring from Liverpool. Antoni Milambo and Jordan Henderson are also in contention for their first competitive appearances.
Andrews confirmed Wissa will not be involved in the squad after a 'disrupted' pre-season that saw the 28-year-old withdraw from the Bees' training camp in Portugal in July to initiate a move away from the club.
Gustavo Nunes is unavailable with no timeframe on his return after injuring his hamstring against Gil Vicente; Paris Maghoma (undisclosed) and long-term absentee Vitaly Janelt (heel) will also miss out.
Predicted Lineups
Nottingham Forest
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Yates; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Brentford
Kelleher; Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Henry; Henderson, Yarmoliuk; Carvalho, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Thiago.
Key Players
Nottingham Forest: Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White was attracting attention during the summer until signing a new three-year contract and unsurprisingly so after contributing seven goals and ten assists in the Premier League last season.
The 25-year-old will be keen to build upon a standout season, starting against Brentford, and he has the qualities to cause Andrews' side a plethora of problems.
Gibbs-White will be key in exploiting a team that has looked vulnerable in transition during pre-season, with his ball-carrying ability allowing him to get into positions to use his creativity to fashion a scoring opportunity.
The visitors will have to be mindful of his influence in deeper areas as he is defensively adept and capable of regaining possession before promptly springing a counter-attack that can decide a game.
Brentford: Fabio Carvalho
Carvalho has been a standout performer for Brentford in pre-season and now has opportunity to establish himself in the line-up after a difficult first year in west London.
The 22-year-old has been entrusted with filling the right wing position vacated by Mbeumo and has looked sharp doing so, operating in an inverted role that has allowed him to combine effectively in the final third.
He has exhibited great awareness and close control receiving the ball between the lines, an ability to progress play, a connection with Mikkel Damsgaard, and clever movement to get into scoring positions.
Carvalho was described as an 'extremely talented' player by Andrews after scoring against Gladbach, and it appears the 44-year-old is keen to give the midfielder a platform to thrive this season, starting in Nottingham.
Match Details
Where is this game being played?
City Ground, Nottingham.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 14:00 (BST) on Sunday, 17 August, 2025.
How can I watch?
This fixture is being broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Premier League.