Nottingham Forest will welcome Brentford to the City Ground on Sunday afternoon, looking to begin the season on a high.
Nottingham Forest have struggled vs Brentford in their last few meetings, and Sunday afternoon’s season-opening Premier League clash at the City Ground will be a difficult contest for them. The Tricky Trees have picked up just one win from their last six meetings with Brentford.
On the other hand, the visitors will look to pull off a quality result away from home. They are unbeaten in five of their last six matches against Nottingham Forest. However, the summer has seen other Premier League clubs ravage Brentford, with Thomas Frank joining Tottenham, Christian Norgaard moving to Arsenal, and Bryan Mbeumo making the switch to Manchester United.
Yoane Wissa will be the next player out the exit door at Brentford, with the DR Congo international reportedly closing in on joining Newcastle United. However, newly appointed manager Keith Andrews will hope to leave his imprint at the West London club in his debut season.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest did quite well in the Premier League last season, and they will certainly hope to begin the new season on a positive note. Both teams will look to put on a strong performance here, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Nicolas Dominguez is the only absentee for the home team. The Argentine midfielder has undergone knee surgery, and he will be sidelined for several months.
Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Brentford, with Matz Sels in goal. Ola Aina and Neco Williams will start as the full-backs, and they will look to keep things tight, defensively, and help out in the attack as well. Murillo will start alongside Nikola Milenkovic at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Yates and Elliot Anderson will pair up in the double pivot. They will look to control the game from the deep and help out defensively as well. Morgan Gibbs-White will add creativity and goals from the central areas.
Dan Ndoye and Callum Hudson-Odoi will start on the flanks. They will look to create opportunities from the flanks and open up the opposition defence. Chris Wood will lead the line for the home team, and he will look to find the back of the net consistently as he braces for competition from other strikers, including the incoming Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Brentford
Vitaly Janelt will miss out due to heel surgery, Yoane Wissa could be on his way out of the club soon, and the 28-year-old striker is unlikely to be involved because of the uncertainty over his future.
Brentford will start in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Nottingham Forest, with summer arrival Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Michael Kayode and Rico Henry will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight, defensively and help out in the final third as well. Nathan Collins will form the central defensive partnership alongside Sepp van den Berg.
As for the midfield unit Mathias Jensen and Yehor Yarmoliuk will start in the double pivot. They look to protect the back four and win the ball back for their side from the deep. Mikkel Damsgaard will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will link up with the attacking players and help open up opportunities in the final third.
Keane Lewis-Potter and Fabio Carvalho will start on the flanks. They will look to open up the opposition defence with their pace, flair, and movement. Finally, Igor Thiago will lead the line for Brentford vs Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Berg, Henry; Yarmolyuk, Jensen; Carvalho, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Thiago
Key Stats
Brentford are unbeaten in five of the last six matches vs Nottingham Forest.
Nottingham Forest have picked up just one win from their last six matches vs Brentford.
18 goals have been scored in the last six matches between Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
Four of the last six matches between Nottingham Forest and Brentford have seen both teams get on the scoresheet.
Nuno Espírito Santo is unbeaten in all five of his Gameweek 1 games in the Premier League (W2 D3), with only Jurgen Klopp (8) and Kenny Dalglish (6) managing more opening day matches without ever losing.
Player to Watch
Morgan Gibbs-White
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The Nottingham Forest skipper was outstanding last season, and he will look to continue in that run of form here. The home team will depend on the English international to open up opportunities in the final third and create chances for his teammates. He is our key player to watch out for.
It will be interesting to see if he can step up and produce a strong performance. Gibbs-White was heavily linked with the move away from the club earlier this summer, but Nottingham Forest pulled out all stops to keep him at the City Ground. It remains to be seen whether he can deliver now.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Brentford
Both teams will look to pick up all three points here, and this is likely to be a close contest. It will be difficult to separate Nottingham Forest from Brentford, and it remains to be seen who comes out on top.
Neither side will want to end up with a defeat in the opening game of the season. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but they could end up cancelling each other out. They are likely to share the spoils here in a draw.