One of the multiple 3:00 pm kicks off on Saturday will feature Nottingham Forest as they welcome Fulham in matchday six of the Premier League season.
Both teams will face off in a game that features two teams that are similar in play style which may make for an interesting 90 minutes of football.
The goal for Forest this season will be to progress up the table. It took them over two decades to get back into the top flight after their relegation to the second division in the 98/99 season. Since they got their promotion back to the top flight, they have spent their two Premier League seasons fighting tooth and nail to keep their Premier League status.
A 16th-placed finish two seasons ago has been followed by a 17th-placed finish last season. This season, they will once again be one of the teams seen as favorites to be relegated this year and their mission this year will be to prove the doubters wrong and secure a mid-table finish.
A good way to start will be addressing their home form. Nino Espirito Santo’s men ranked 17th in the League for home points won last year with 20 points at home. They scored 27 goals at the City ground last season and only three teams in the League scored fewer goals on their home turf.
They need to be a stronger home team at their iconic stadium if they want to move up into mid-table and they will need to beat teams like Everton to achieve such an objective.
Some Forest fans will cite the points deduction as a reason they were in a relegation battle, but the truth is that if they added the four points that were taken from them due to their breach of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), they would still finish 17th.
On the flip side, Fulham will head into this fixture as slight favorites. They finished 15 points and four places above their next opponents last season and the London side is still looking to get better. To achieve their ambitions this season, they will need to head to places like the City ground and win or at least avoid losing.
Last season saw them lose their top scorer in Aleksandar Mitrovic and his loss left a hole in the team. The team suffered due to the Serbian’s transfer away but Fulham were able to find goals eventually and they finished 13th in the League. Fulham will be disappointed with that League finish but 13th place is arguably a fair reflection of the type of season they had.
This year however, the objective for Fulham will be to be more clinical in front of goal to move up to the top half of the Premier League table.
When these two sides met at the City ground last season, Forest ran out winners with a 3-1 scoreline. The home side started like a house on fire and was dominant right from the opening whistle. Forest opened the scoring after nine minutes when Callum Hudson-Odoi opened the scoring.
Ten minutes later, their brilliant start to the match continued as Chris Wood doubled their lead in the 19th minute and Fulham did not have an answer for their opponents. In first-half stoppage time, Morgan Gibbs-White scored the home side’s third goal of the night to cap off what was a great first half for the former European Champions. Tosin Adarabipyo was able to pull one back early in the second half but that was nothing more than a consolation goal.
Fulham had most of the possession in the game but Forest dominated in both boxes as they created big chances while Fulham lacked imagination and the cutting edge to break down their opponents and score.
Match Tickets
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham tickets can be found online for fans looking to purchase. The home fans will come in full force and the 30,000-capacity stadium will be full to the rafters for their club.
The game will be played at the City Ground in Nottingham on Saturday, 28th of September at 3:00 PM. Fans in and around the United Kingdom where Sky Sports’ coverage reaches will be able to enjoy the game at that time.
The Premier League is broadcast to 212 total provinces in the world, which means that fans outside the United Kingdom have to tune in to one of the league’s broadcast partners in their province for the game.
Team news
Nottingham Forest have no issues with regards to injury at the moment. Nino Espirito Santo will have a full squad to choose from for the visit of Fulham as they search for three points at home.
Fulham will also go into the game with all their players fit as there are no injuries to worry about currently. They will be at their strongest for their trip to the City Ground and will want to make their trip back to London with three points in tow.
Lineups
Nuno’s men will feature new signings Nikola Milenkovic and Elliot Anderson in the starting lineup along with Ola Aina, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson Odoi in the first 11
Nottingham Forest: Matz Sels; Milenkovic, Murillo, Boly, Williams, Yates, Anderson, Aina, Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Elanga.
Fulham will lineup in their 4-2-3-1 formation with the width coming from William and Alex Iwobi while Andreas Pereira will play as the number 10 behind the striker.
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Ream, Bassey, Robinson, Willian, Lukic, Reed, Iwobi, Pereira, Muniz.
Prediction
This contest will be a cagey affair between two teams that prefer to be compact and give little chances away. Defences will be on top throughout and the fixture may become a bit of a chess match between two teams trying to break each other down.
Ultimately, home advantage will be able to get Forest over the hump and allow them to secure all three points against their London visitors.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Fulham
