Exeter City vs. Nottingham Forest: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Even with all their likely changes, Forest should have far too much for Exeter. With four defeats and one draw from their last five games, the League One club are in a bad moment, while their opponents are flying high in 3rd place in the Premier League.

Forest have kept three clean sheets in their last four league games away from home, so they should make this one look fairly routine. Exeter 0-3 Nottingham Forest.

Premier League highflyers Nottingham Forest take on Exeter City this weekend as the two sides lock horns in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

• Date: 11/02/2025
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: St James Park, Exeter

Exeter City are currently 17th in League One with 32 points from 29 games. The Grecians have had a tough campaign and are trying to stay clear of the relegation zone, of which they're currently seven points clear. Some fancied Exeter as an outside bet for a playoff place preseason, but they've fallen well short of that expectation, and there's now mounting pressure on manager Gary Caldwell as they come into this game amidst a very poor run of form.

The Grecians were also dealt a monumental blow in this month's transfer market as striker and top scorer Millenic Alli was poached by Championship side Luton Town. For a side that has really struggled in front of goal this season, scoring just 33 times in the league, the departure of Alli is a major loss, and one they will unlikely be able to compensate for.

This is the first time that Exeter have reached the fourth round of this competition since the 1980-81 season when they reached the quarter-finals, so it's already a pretty historic FA Cup campaign by their standards. If they could pull off the win here, it would be even more historic and would likely be the club's biggest victory in recent times.

Nottingham Forest come into this game 3rd in the Premier League with 47 points from 24 games. Forest are on cloud nine this season as they enter this game as legitimate Champions League contenders. As things stand, Forest have a six-point cushion over 5th place and will really fancy their chances of securing Champions League football for next season, especially with England looking in a good position to secure five qualifying spots.

It is, then, quite unlikely that Forest will give too much importance to this competition considering they have a potential timeline-altering league finish within reach, so we should expect them to field significantly weakened XIs, not only for this game, but for anything forthcoming ties that might occur.

That is a shame, though, because a team of Forest's level could really make a dent in this competition this season. The Tricky Trees are one of England's most illustrious clubs, and having won the competition twice previously, there is little doubt that their fans would love nothing more than to see their club lift major honours once more. It may well come in the future, and Forest will very likely progress to the next round this time around, but their eyes will firmly be fixed on securing a top four spot this season.

This game will be televised live to all UK viewers on ITV1.

Exeter Team News:

Exeter will likely be without Jack Aitchison, Pierce Sweeney, Johnly Yfeko and Kamari Doyle, all of whom are out injured.

The Grecians will likely make a change or two for this one, with Ryan Trevitt and Joel Colwill pushing for a place in the starting lineup.

Predicted lineup: Whitworth; McMillan, Diabate, Francis; Woods, Trevitt; Niskanen, Watts, Colwill, Yogane; Magennis.

Nottingham Forest Team News:

The visitors will once again be without Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is still recovering from a groin injury, although the hope is that he's not too far from full fitness.

A host of changes will be made by Nuno Espírito Santo for this one, with the likes of Jota Silva and Taiwo Awoniyi all in line for starts.

Predicted lineup: Miguel; Williams, Morato, Boly, Moreno; Yates, Sangaré; Sosa, Domínguez, Silva; Awoniyi.

Exeter:

Exeter are woefully out of form, as they come into this game with one draw and four defeats from their last five games. Last time out, the Grecians were hammered 4-1 by Stevenage, a result that came after a 2-6 loss to Leyton Orient and a 1-3 defeat to Blackpool.

Before that, Exeter salvaged a point with a stoppage-time equaliser to draw 1-1 away at Peterborough United, which followed a 1-0 loss away at Birmingham City.

Nottingham Forest:

Nottingham Forest are coming into this game with three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five games. At the weekend, Forest leathered Brighton by an unbelievable 7-0 scoreline, with a Chris Wood hat-trick alongside goals from Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Jota Silva getting the job done.

Prior to that, Forest were subjected to a shock 5-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth, which was preceded by a 3-2 win over Southampton, thanks to Elliot Anderson, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Wood, a 1-1 draw with Liverpool - where Wood once again got on the scoresheet - and a 2-0 win over Luton Town, courtesy of Ryan Yates and Ramón Sosa.

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