A glamour tie awaits in the third round of the FA Cup on Friday night as rich and ambitious Wrexham welcome Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest to the Racecourse Ground. The Welsh Dragons will be hoping for a huge scalp that will make the rest of the English pyramid really sit back and notice.
Meanwhile, Forest will be hoping for a better performance than the one they showed away at West Ham in the English top flight last time out, even though they ended up winning 2-1. Wrexham were also 2-1 victors on their travels, beating Derby in the Championship.
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Wrexham vs Nottingham Forest prediction: A “cupset” on the cards?
Key stats
- Wrexham are on a four-game winning run.
- Forest's win against West Ham ended a four-match losing streak.
- Wrexham are also unbeaten in seven home games, winning five of them.
Correct score prediction: Wrexham 2-1 Nottingham Forest
With Wrexham in such great form and Forest unconvincing on Tuesday night despite victory, we can see an upset happening here. The hosts will want to test themselves properly against Premier League opposition, and the crowd could help them get over the line.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Forest favourites with bookmakers
- HOME: 3/1 (4.00) – 25.0%
- DRAW: 14/5 (3.80) – 26.3%
- AWAY: 4/5 (1.80) – 55.6%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
As shown by the implied probabilities, Forest, being the Premier League side, are unsurprisingly the favourites with bookmakers to win and progress into the fourth round of the competition. A draw in normal time can still be backed at just over 26% though, while a Wrexham victory on home soil is rated at 25%.
Also, feel free to check out our dedicated Today’s betting tips page for more of our expert FA Cup predictions.
Most recent H2Hs: First meeting
Wrexham and Forest will meet for the first time in a competitive outing on Friday. It will no doubt be interesting to see how they play against each other, especially being from different divisions.
Wrexham preview: Plenty of injury problems
Unfortunately for Wrexham, they have a number of injury problems to contend with heading into this clash. Aaron James, Andy Cannon, Danny Ward, Elliot Lee, Kieffer Moore, Lewis Brunt and Ryan Hardie are all on the treatment table.
Predicted lineup: Okonkwo (GK); Cleworth, Hyam, Doyle; James, Sheaf; Longman, Windass, Broadhead, Thomason & Smith
Last five results:
- Derby 1-2 Wrexham
- Blackburn 0-2 Wrexham
- Wrexham 2-1 Preston
- Wrexham 5-3 Sheffield United
- Swansea 2-1 Wrexham
Nottingham Forest preview: Rotation expected?
Forest could choose to rotate the squad with such a busy January schedule coming up. Dan Ndoye, John Victor, Ryan Yates and Chris Wood are all out through injury.
Predicted lineup: Sels (GK); Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Anderson, Luiz; McAtee, Gibbs-White, Bakwa & Jesus
Last five results:
- West Ham 1-2 Nottingham Forest
- Aston Villa 3-1 Nottingham Forest
- Nottingham Forest 0-2 Everton
- Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City
- Fulham 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Player to watch: Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs-White struck the winner for Forest against West Ham, and his quality could make a difference. It was a penalty too, which bodes well for the visitors should the tie end up in a shootout.