Nottingham Forest will look to reclaim their spot in the top five of the Premier League when they face Brentford at the City Ground on Thursday.
This is Forest’s game in hand over their rivals and should they win, they will move from sixth to third. Only two points separate these four places. With the campaign almost concluded, a win now will significantly boost their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Standing in their way is a Brentford outfit currently 11th in the table. They have an outside shot of still qualifying for Europe. Although unlikely, they will keep battling until it is mathematically impossible.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS BRENTFORD PREVIEW
Forest go into this game off the back of crashing out of the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday. A 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City at Wembley means qualifying for the Champions League is now their only objective.
Brentford beat Brighton 4-2 at the weekend. A Bryan Mbeumo brace set them on their way. Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard scored the other goals to secure their first Premier League win in four attempts.
Forest beat Brentford for the first time in seven attempts in this season’s reverse fixture. Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga scored the goals in a 2-0 win back in December.
Last season’s corresponding fixture at the City Ground was won 3-2 by Brentford. Danilo opened the scoring for Forest in the third minute, but Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Ben Mee turned the tie around. Chris Wood scored in the 65th minute to level for Forest, but three minutes later, Neal Maupay struck the winner for the Bees.
Injuries to key players was one of the reasons why Nottingham Forest succumbed to Manchester City in the FA Cup at the weekend. Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi could return for this game, but it will probably come too soon for the former.
Brentford have a longer injury list. Aaron Hickey is currently being assessed, with his return date unknown. Fabio Carvalho probably won’t be back until next season with a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Joshua Dasilva and Igor Thiago (both knee) remain out. Emre Yunus Konak was forced off against Brighton with a head injury. His status is unknown.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS BRENTFORD – PREDICTIONS
Nottingham Forest Win
Despite Forest’s recent dip in form, they have home crowd advantage and maybe some key players returning from injury. Their recent nine-game unbeaten home record in the Premier League was broken by Everton and they will be determined to get back on track. They also beat Brentford 2-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Draw
Three of the last six meetings between the two sides have been drawn, while there was only one goal in it in two of the other three. The last two games between the sides at the City Ground have ended in draws.
Brentford Win
Brentford are unbeaten in three Premier League games and secured all three points against Brighton last time out. On their day, they are capable of securing wins on the road and could do so again.
PREMIER LEAGUE – TOP SCORER
| # | Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Mohamed Salah |
Liverpool FC | 28 | 17 | 36 |
| 2 |
Alexander Isak |
Newcastle United FC | 23 | 6 | 33 |
| 3 |
Erling Haaland |
Manchester City FC | 21 | 3 | 30 |
| 4 |
Chris Wood |
Nottingham Forest FC | 20 | 3 | 34 |
| 5 |
Bryan Mbeumo |
Brentford FC | 18 | 8 | 36 |
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS BRENTFORD – BETTING TIPS
Nottingham Forest Win
Home advantage, the greater need for points and the potential return of key players all point to a Forest win. Everton snapped their unbeaten Premier League home run last time out, but they will be determined to put this right. Brentford have an outside shot of securing a place in Europe, but it really is an outside shot. I expect Forest to be too strong here.
Under 1.5 Goals
There have been fewer than 1.5 Goals in all of the last four Premier League games at the City Ground. Two of Brentford’s four matches in April have also seen fewer than 1.5 Goals. This game is expected to be tight and I expect there only being one goal in it.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Nottingham Forest and Brentford have played each other 40 times, with the Bees winning 15. Forest have won 14, while there have been 11 draws.
- Brentford have only lost once in their last seven meetings against Forest, although this was last time out.
- Brentford have only won one of their last five games at the City Ground (D2 L2), despite winning four consecutive games there beforehand.
- Before their defeat to Everton last time out, Nottingham Forest were unbeaten in nine Premier League games at the City Ground (W7 D2).
- Brentford are undefeated in their last three league games (W1 D2). They haven’t had a four-match unbeaten run this season.
- Brentford haven’t won any of their 10 midweek Premier League matches this season (D3 L7).
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01-05-2025 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
0 - 2 |
Brentford FC |
| 21-12-2024 |
Brentford FC |
0 - 2 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
| 20-01-2024 |
Brentford FC |
3 - 2 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
| 01-10-2023 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
1 - 1 |
Brentford FC |
| 29-04-2023 |
Brentford FC |
2 - 1 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
