Dominic Solanke, Bournemouth

Bournemouth vs Nottm Forest Preview and Prediction

Arnav Kholkar

Bournemouth vs Nottm Forest Match Preview

Twelfth placed Bournemouth will host 16th placed Nottingham Forest in a crucial mid-table game in the Premier League on Sunday, February 4.

The Cherries enter this contest on the back of a decent run of form. They have won six of their last 10 games, drawing twice and losing twice. They have also been in fairly decent scoring form, netting 10 times in their last five games. Their last outing was a 1-1 draw at West Ham as the hosts were spared their blushes by a second-half penalty. However, coming up against a team lower than them in the table would surely give them hope of a win.

Forest, on the other hand, are in a pretty worrying state of form currently. They have won just three of their last 10 games, losing four times and drawing thrice. They have scored eight goals in their last five games but have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since their 2-0 win over Aston Villa in early November. If they are to survive, Forest will need to get their defensive act together and put in a strong performance. They lost 2-1 at Arsenal in their last game and will look to put in a better performance in the next one.

On that note, let’s take a look at the team news from both sides.

Team News & Predicted Lineups

Bournemouth

Manager Andoni Iraola will have a fairly short injury list to worry about ahead of his team’s next game. Defender Ryan Fredericks and midfielder Tyler Adams have been out injured since March ’23, with no set return date for the two.

Goalkeeper Darren Randolph too has been out since last year and will remain absent for the foreseeable future. Winger Antoine Semenyo is back and available for selection following Ghana’s early elimination from the AFCON, as is Dango Ouattara.

Iraola will likely stick with the same lineup he deployed in their last game against West Ham.

Predicted XI: Neto (GK) (C), Adam Smith, Ilia Zabarnyi, Marcos Senesi, Lloyd Kelly, Lewis Cook, Ryan Christie, Antoine Semenyo, Alex Scott, Marcus Tavernier Dominic Solanke.

Nottm Forest

Manager Nuno Esprito Santo will have no injury concerns heading into his next game. However, the team are missing five key players who are still away at the AFCON. Ivory Coast’s Serge Aurier, Wily Boly, Moussa Niakhite and Ibrahim Sangare will be unavailable, along with Nigerian defender Ola Aina.

Santo fielded a mixed lineup last time around in Forest’s 2-1 defeat at Arsenal. However, he is likely to restore the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga to the starting XI.

Predicted XI: Matt Turner (GK), Gonzalo Montiel, Andrew Omobamidele, Murillo, Harry Toffolo, Danilo, Orel Mangala, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White (C), Anthony Elanga, Taiwo Awoniyi.

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Bournemouth vs Nottm Forest Head-to-Head & Prediction

Last 5 Games H2H (All Comps)

  • Forest 2-3 Bournemouth (12/23)
  • Bournemouth 1-1 Forest (01/23)
  • Forest 2-3 Bournemouth (09/22)
  • Bournemouth 1-0 Forest (05/22)
  • Forest 1-2 Bournemouth (08/21)

As you can see, Bournemouth have dominated the last five meetings between these two sides. The Cherries have recorded four wins and shared one draw, scoring 10 goals in the process and conceding six.

It is interesting to note that despite Bournemouth’s upper hand, both teams have scored in four of the last five games. Three of those games have also seen three or more goals being scored. This indicates that goals are likely to flow when the two meet.

However, given the form Bournemouth’s players are in and the face that Nuno Esprito Santo has only just taken over at Forest, the hosts are likelier to walk away with the win.

Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Nottingham Forest.

Betting Tips

  • Dominic Solanke: Anytime Goalscorer.
  • Both Teams to Score: Yes.
  • Match Result: Bournemouth.

Odds

  • Bournemouth Win: 1.73
  • Draw: 4.20
  • Nottm Forest Win: 5.00

Bournemouth vs Nottm Forest Timings & Telecast

  • Date & Time: Sunday, February 4th at 2:00 PM GMT
  • India: Star Sports Network, Hotstar app & website.
  • UK: Sky Sports.
  • US: Peacock Premium.

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