Nottingham Forest have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their four matches under Ange Postecoglu so far, and I see them struggling to keep out the Black Cats, who have started the season strongly.

Forest are already adopting some of Ange’s attacking principles, which is leaving them a bit exposed at the back. I watched Forest in their 2-2 draw with Real Betis during the week, and it was a game that showcased the best and worst sides of ‘Angeball’ with Forest responding well to going 1-0 down, dragging the game to 2-1 before collapsing in the second half with Betis breaking their resolve in the 85th minute.

In truth, I still think it’s too drastic a stylistic change to expect a manager to implement when the season is already underway. Nuno set up this side to play on the counter-attack and hold a deep line, Ange demands the opposite, which explains the teething issues you’re seeing for Forest at the moment. Forest have conceded 2+ goals in three of their games under Ange, against Swansea, Betis, and Arsenal.

Burnley managed to score against Forest last time out and had 12 shots in the game, five of which found the target. Sunderland can take advantage of the risky approach from Nottingham Forest to get on the scoresheet here. Regis Le Bris’ side have scored in three of their five Premier League matches this season and even managed to score against Aston Villa with 10 men last time out.

Sunderland have been shown seven yellow cards and one red card across their opening five games of the Premier League season (0.8 per game). I’d expect that to rise here, with Forest expected to dominate the game and having quite a few players who can win fouls.

Forest have drawn 2+ cards from their opponents in two of their five Premier League matches so far this season, and these were against sides that were quite negative in their approach to the game. Both Brentford and Palace picked up 2+ cards against Forest, and I’d expect Sunderland to line up in a similar shape and attitude to those two sides.

Sunderland’s away games will be about trying to stay in the game, so we can expect them to adopt quite a conservative approach. Time wasting could also come into the equation should the Black Cats manage to get their noses in front. The referee for this game is Tony Harrington, who is averaging 4.50 cards per appointment this season.

Isidior has adapted to the Premier League well with three goals in just 235 minutes of action. Mayenda started the season as Sunderland’s main striker, but Isidior’s impressive cameos off the bench and his goal against Villa last time out has solidified his position as the main striker for the Black Cats.

Isidior has had 13 shots across these 235 minutes of Premier League football (4.98 per 90) with five of these attempts finding the target (1.91 per 90). This is a promising record, even if it is from a small sample size and tells us that Isidior can compete and perform at this level, which is always the question asked of newly promoted strikers.

I think Sunderland will be able to generate a few opportunities here with the space that Forest leave in behind when they go forward in Ange Postecoglu’s attacking system. Isidior scored 12 goals across his 34 appearances in the Championship last season, whilst averaging 2.74 shots per 90 and 1.18 shots on target per 90.

It’s a real shame that Sunderland have lost Habib Diarra to injury until at least the end of the year. I thought that the trio that Regis Le Bris had assembled in the middle of the park in Diarra, Sadiki, and Xhaka was perfectly suited for the speed and physicality of the Premier League.

The Black Cats will have to adapt in the absence of Diarra, who was the most forward-thinking of the trio, so the role of Sadiki shouldn’t change too much here. Sadiki covers every blade of grass and has committed five fouls across his five appearances for Sunderland this season (1.02 per 90).

He’ll be lining up against a Forest midfield that is packed with players who draw fouls regularly. His main opponent is likely to be Elliot Anderson, who has won eight fouls across his five Premier League appearances this season (1.60 per 90) and was fouled five times in Forest’s 2-2 draw with Betis during the week.

Sunderland will play on the counter-attack here, but they have proven to be one of the more effective newly promoted sides using this system.

Ange’s attacking approach always gives the opposition chances, as highlighted by the fact that Forest have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their four games under their new head coach - an eventuality that seemed near impossible under Nuno Espírito Santo.

Sunderland managed four shots on target against Aston Villa last time out despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half of the game. Their shot on target totals across their away games this season aren’t the strongest, with just one effort on goal across their trips to Burnley and Palace this term. However, neither of those teams will set up as boldly as Forest, which should give the Black Cats more chances here.

Forest allowed Burnley to have 12 shots in their most recent Premier League outing, five of which found the target. They’ve also conceded four shots on target against Betis and Swansea in the early stages of Ange Postecoglu’s reign.

Morgan Gibbs-White was deployed on the right-hand side in the first half of Forest’s 2-2 draw with Real Betis during the week. I thought it was a bit of a strange decision to play him out there with how effective he can be when playing through the middle, but Gibbs-White still showed his value with an assist and two shots against the Spanish side.

I’d expect him to return to his usual role through the middle here as Forest will need his creativity to try and unlock Sunderland’s low block. He’s registered one assist across his five Premier League games for Forest this season, but has created six chances across these games. I’d expect Gibbs-White to be afforded more opportunities under Ange Postecoglu with the former Tottenham manager’s attacking philosophy.

A lot of the focus for Forest last season was on Elanga and Wood, but Gibbs-White was instrumental to their success. He registered 15 goal contributions across his 34 appearances in the Premier League, with the 25-year-old also hitting 15 goal contributions in the English top flight the season prior.

I’ve come to this selection a few times over recent weeks, but I still think it’s worth backing despite the fact that Alderete has not yet picked up a yellow card.

I thought his clash against Watkins would have prompted the aggressive centre back to commit a few fouls, and while this ended up being the case, it didn’t quite translate into a card. The reason I’m so hot on Alderete when it comes to him picking up a booking is due to his record in LaLiga last season - he picked up eight yellow cards and averaged 1.00 fouls committed per 90 across his 34 appearances in LaLiga last season.

Just as I thought he may struggle with the mobility of Watkins against Villa, I can see him struggling to contain Igor Jesus, who scored twice against Real Betis last time out. Like Watkins, Igor Jesus is a mobile striker and will stretch the backline with his clever movement and speed. Igor Jesus won 26 fouls across his 10 appearances in the Brazilian Serie A last season (2.67 per 90), which is a record that should make him a real threat to Alderete.