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Nottingham Forest v Brighton
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Kick Off: Satuday 1st February at 12:30
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Competition: Premier League
Nottingham Forest’s bruising 5-0 defeat to high-flying Bournemouth last time out ended a run of 9 games unbeaten across all competitions for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side who managed to win 8 of these encounters. They’ve enjoyed a brilliant season so far which sees them sit 3rd in the Premier League with a 3-point cushion on 4th placed side Manchester City.
They welcome a Brighton side who had their own 7-game unbeaten run ended by a 1-0 defeat to a rejuvenated Everton side, Fabian Hurzeler’s team weren’t as convincing in this run with 4 of the games ending in draws. This is something Brighton have struggled with all season, they’ve drawn 10 games in the Premier League this season – more than any other side.
⭐ Nottingham Forest v Brighton Best Bet
Yasin Ayari has been a reliable player for Fabian Hurzeler, the 21-year-old has featured in 20 of Brighton’s 23 Premier League games this season. He’s committed 26 fouls across these appearances (1.84 per 90) – only Georgino Rutter and Mats Wieffer are averaging more fouls per 90 than the Swedish central midfielder.
He’s committed at least 1 foul in each of his last 5 Premier League matches, a record that extends to at least 1 foul committed in 8 of his last 10 appearances in the competition. He’ll be up against Morgan Gibbs White who has won 25 fouls across his 19 Premier League appearances this campaign (1.49 per 90).
Fabian Hurzeler’s side are young and talented but with this profile of squad also comes recklessness, especially in the middle of the park with Baleba and Ayari showing their inexperience at times. Brighton are committing 11.9 fouls per game in the Premier League this season – only Southampton, Wolves and Bournemouth are averaging higher. Brighton committed 12 fouls in the initial meeting between the sides which ended in a 2-2 draw with 9 yellow cards so we can expect a feisty encounter in which Ayari should be tested early, mainly by Morgan Gibbs White in central positions.
👕 Nottingham Forest v Brighton Predicted XI
🔍 Nottingham Forest v Brighton Players to Watch
🔴 Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs White has been at the heart of Nottingham Forest’s success in the final third this season. The 25-year-old has registered 8 goal contributions across his 19 Premier League matches this season (4 goals, 4 assists). The majority of the plaudits have rightly gone to Chris Wood who is far and away Forest’s top scorer but without Gibbs White’s creativity, Forest would struggle to play in the way they do. Nuno Espírito Santo’s side relies on efficient counter-attacking football characterised by fast players in the wide areas and a lethal centre forward as well as a compact and organised defensive unit.
Gibbs White is often the player to release Forest’s speedy wingers and find Wood in the box. Gibbs White has registered 3 goal contributions across his last 5 Premier League appearances and can hurt Brighton here. Also worth keeping an eye on is Gibbs White for set-piece delivery in this game. Forest scored 25% of their goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season.
🔵 Carlos Baleba
Baleba has been shown more yellow cards than any other player in the Brighton squad (5). He’s a very talented central midfielder with the ability to affect the game at both ends of the pitch and has already caught the eye of some of the bigger clubs but Baleba can be reckless in his challenges.
He’s averaging 1.53 fouls committed per 90 across his 20 Premier League appearances this season and has been shown a yellow card in each of his last 2 games in the competition against Everton and Manchester United. Baleba struggled to deal with Morgan Gibbs White in the initial meeting between the sides earlier in the season, he committed 2 fouls, gave away a penalty, and was shown a yellow card.
🔵 Danny Welbeck
Welbeck’s reintroduction to the Brighton side following a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury is great news for Fabian Hurzeler. Welbeck was in great form prior to his injury and Brighton have missed the clinical edge he provides which has seen them fail to kill off games despite controlling large periods.
Welbeck is averaging 0.91 shots on target per 90 across his 17 appearances in the Premier League this season, he scored and had 2 shots on target in the initial meeting between the sides earlier in the season.
📂 Nottingham Forest v Brighton Cheat Sheet
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💻 Nottingham Forest v Brighton Form and Tactics
Nottingham Forest’s success has been above anything anyone could have predicted prior to the season starting. Nuno Espirito Santo has to be given the majority of their success this season which sees his side sitting 3rd in the Premier League with 15 games left to play. He sets his side up in a 4-2-3-1 shape with instructions to sit in a low-mid block and focus their attacks through the wide areas where they have a lot of speed to turn around opponents after staying defensively resilient. It’s a style of football many thought was ineffective and out of fashion but with the defensive organisation Forest have, it’s incredibly dangerous to opposition sides – especially those who overcommit bodies forward.
Brighton are one of the most tactically flexible sides in the Premier League, Fabian Hurzeler doesn’t have a set philosophy that he abides to by all means necessary and is instead adaptable to the opposition. Brighton tend to line up in a similar shape to their opponents here with the 4 attackers allowed to be fluid in their movement. The wingers are crucial in this system, a lot of Brighton’s attacking success relies on the wide players beating their fullback in 1v1 battles, something that could prove difficult here with Forest’s wingers having excellent defensive discipline.
Both of these sides suffered uncharacteristic defeats in their most recent Premier League games but have otherwise maintained steady form coming into the new year. The meeting between these two teams earlier in the season ended in a 2-2 draw and something similar could be on the cards here – Brighton have drawn more games than any other team in the Premier League this season (10).
🏁 Nottingham Forest v Brighton Ref Watch
- Referee: Simon Hooper
| Average Cards (Y / R) | 4.64 / 0.14 |
| Fouls Given | 21.14 |
| Penalties | 0.07 |
📺 How to Watch Nottingham Forest v Brighton in the Premier League
📅 When is Nottingham Forest v Brighton? / Saturday, 1 February 2025, 12:30
🏟 Where is Nottingham Forest v Brighton? / City Ground (Nottingham)
📺 What TV Channel is Nottingham Forest v Brighton on? / TNT Sports 1
🟨 …And who is the referee for Nottingham Forest v Brighton / Simon Hooper 🏴
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