Nottingham Forest travel to Selhurst Park on Saturday, where they will face a confident Crystal Palace side. Last season, Forest went unbeaten against the Eagles, and they will be hoping to continue that streak this weekend.
Crystal Palace
Other than Chelsea, Crystal Palace have the lowest average goals per game in the league, but their stubborn approach puts them in 9th place. Their biggest issue has been in front of goal and they have failed to score in two out of their three games at Selhurst Park. Unfortunately, Eberechi Eze looks set to be sidelined for around six weeks which is an astronomical blow to Palace. His influence in attack and all over the field is unmatched by anyone in the squad, and it is fair to say that without the artist, the Eagles will suffer.
Last time out, Palace registered a huge 1-0 victory away to Old Trafford. Jochim Andersen scored a wonderful volley from an Eze set piece which gave them the lead in the first half. Man United flooded players forward, but Hodgson’s side showed resilience to deny the Red Devils.
Nottingham Forest
Steve Cooper’s side are in 12th place in the Premier League after seven games. They’ve won twice, drew twice and lost four matches. Forest’s only defeats has been away from home against Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal, but they’ve found joy against the teams around them. A notable fact regarding Forest, is that they’ve witnessed a red card in four games so far, which clearly showcases that they’ve featured in some close, scrappy matches. Taiwo Awoniyi has been their main attacking threat who has an output and Cooper will need his centre forward to be on form this weekend.
Last week, Forest held Brentford to a 1-1 draw, despite only having 10 men for the majority of the second half. Moussa Niakhate was sent off in the 56th minute and two minutes later, the Bees took the lead. The Forest faithful will be thrilled with a point from 1-0 down with a man less, and it underlines how the boss has been able to create a squad with determination and fighting spirit.
Verdict?
This game should be extremely close and the outcome will be decided by the finest of margins. Both sides are struggling in front of goal and it looks like a low scoring game on paper. it is too close to call and the game could end in a draw.
The final prediction is Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest, with the draw priced at 12/5.
