Nottingham Forest v West Brom
Skybet Championship. Kick Off: 19.45pm Tuesday 7th August 2018. Live on Sky Sports.
Aitor Karanka has recieved support in the transfer market from the Nottingham Forest board and subsequently done a lot of business over the close season, some of it catching the eye.
Joao Carvalho for a club record £13.2m from Benfica and a season-long loan deal for his colleague Diego Goncalves, alongside Lewis Grabban for a reported £6m shows the kind of money paid nowadays to build squads that can potentially reach the Premier League promised land.
Karanka must have produced a bazooka, never mind a hairdryer as Forest were a different side in the second half against Bristol City on Saturday. Daryl Murphy led the line and bagged a goal with a well-placed header, what he is known for, but was substituted for Grabban as Forest went looking for a winner. Much-travelled Grabban has scored goals at this level all his career, doing well for Sunderland and Villa during recent loan moves. I thought Murphy did enough to stay in for tonight`s game, but such is the competition for places, Karanka has some smart options. Grabban has stated in the past he doesn`t like warming the bench so it will be interesting to see this one develop.
West Brom will be disappointed to begin the campaign with a loss, especially at the Hawthorns, and will probably feel they should have got something after hitting the bar late on. They went behind against Bolton, though, so will need to wake up a bit and realise where they are now. The signing of Dwight Gayle on loan from Newcastle is a positive, not sure about the haircut though!
If he can fire the Baggies back to the big time the fans won't care, but will he go straight in tonight? Darren Moore put some pride and commitment back into the team last season and deservedly got given a chance at getting the club back up.
Both teams started slowly on Saturday, but West Brom have won on their last three league visits to the City Ground but that and most of the other stats are pretty ancient as the clubs haven't faced each other much in recent seasons. Karanka wants a win, but what he wants and gets could be different. Forest are full of potential, but I think Moore could drill the visitors to be solid and try to nick the first goal, opening up the game.
Recommended Bets
- West Brom to score First 1/1 (Ladbrokes)
- Over 2.5 goals 11/10 (Bet365)
- Daryl Murphy Anytime goalscorer 21/10 (Bet365)
