Nottingham Forest kick off another Premier League season by welcoming Brentford to the City Ground on Sunday afternoon. The Tricky Trees have had an interesting summer to say the least, as their appeal with regards to replacing Crystal Palace in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) due to the Eagles' multi-club ownership was successful.
Brentford have also had a busy summer as they replaced Tottenham-bound manager Thomas Frank with set-piece coach Keith Andrews, while also losing key players Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard and Mark Flekken to Manchester United, Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. Nonetheless, it will no doubt be interesting to see how both teams shape up against each other.
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Nottingham Forest vs Brentford prediction: Forest to fetch three points?
Key stats
- Forest kept a total of five clean sheets in seven pre-season friendlies.
- Brentford have only won once in five matches in total over all competitions.
- Both fixtures in the Premier League in the 2024/25 campaign did not see both teams score.
Correct score prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Brentford
Given just how low-scoring Forest's pre-season friendlies were, we are not expecting many goals, if any, at all at the City Ground. Given that they have home advantage, the Tricky Trees could edge this one against Brentford.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Forest firm favourites with bookmakers
- HOME: 11/10 (2.10) – 47.6%
- DRAW: 23/10 (3.30) – 30.3%
- AWAY: 12/5 (3.40) – 29.4%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
As shown by the implied probabilities, Forest are firm favourites with bookmakers to claim all three points on home soil and get off to the best possible start. Interestingly, a draw and a Brentford win have been rated at very similar percentages.
Also, feel free to check out our dedicated Football Betting Tips Today page, as well as our Premier League predictions & betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: Mixed bag
Both games last season interestingly finished 2-0 to the away side. Brentford have actually won three of the previous five H2Hs, while Forest have won once and there has been one draw.
England Premier League 01/05/25
Nottm Forest
Brentford
England Premier League 21/12/24
Brentford
Nottm Forest
Community Shield 09/08/24
Nottm Forest
Brentford
England Premier League 20/01/24
Brentford
Nottm Forest
England Premier League 01/10/23
Nottm Forest
Brentford
Nottingham Forest preview: Ndoye expected to start
New big-money signing Dan Ndoye from Serie A side Bologna, who has replaced the departed Anthony Elanga, is expected to start for Forest here. Otherwise, the starting XI should look very similar to last season.
Predicted lineup: Sels (GK); Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi & Wood
England Premier League 11/05/25
D
Leicester
2
Nottm Forest
2
England Premier League 05/05/25
D
Crystal Palace
1
Nottm Forest
1
England Premier League 01/05/25
L
Brentford
2
Nottm Forest
0
England FA Cup 27/04/25
L
Man City
2
Nottm Forest
0
England Premier League 21/04/25
W
Tottenham
1
Nottm Forest
2
Brentford preview: New faces replace old ones
With Flekken now no longer at the club, new signing from Liverpool Caoimhin Kelleher should start in between the sticks for Brentford. Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could also get the nod in the middle of the park for the Bees.
Predicted lineup: Kelleher (GK); Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Henry; Jensen, Henderson; Carvalho, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter & Thiago
England Premier League 10/05/25
W
Ipswich
0
Brentford
1
England Premier League 04/05/25
W
Man Utd
3
Brentford
4
England Premier League 01/05/25
W
Nottm Forest
0
Brentford
2
England Premier League 19/04/25
W
Brighton
2
Brentford
4
England Premier League 12/04/25
D
Arsenal
1
Brentford
1
Player to watch: Dan Ndoye
In the absence of Elanga, Ndoye should make his debut for Forest on the wing. He comes off the back of a great season with Bologna, where he managed to score a total of nine goals and make a further six assists in all competitions for the Serie A side.