Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
English Premier League, KO: 15:00 Aug 31, 2024, City Ground
Wolverhampton Wanderers saw their form nosedive towards the end of last season and that slump has continued into the new campaign, with Gary O'Neil's men in desperate need of a win as they head to Nottingham Forest on matchday three of the Premier League.
After such an impressive start last term, Wolves ended with a whimper as they collected just one victory in their last 11 games. They had a daunting opening to season 2023 with games against Arsenal and Chelsea and it was no great surprise when they lost both games.
But the 6-2 battering the Blues inflicted at Molineux last Sunday set some alarm bells ringing, although O'Neil's side did bounce back with an EFL Cup win over Burnley in midweek.
Nottingham Forest's start has been much better, despite the bookies making them fourth favourites for the drop before a ball was kicked. A 1-1 draw with Bournemouth was followed by a victory at Southampton, although they bowed out of the EFL Cup on penalties to Newcastle in midweek.
Boss Nuno Espirito Santo is stamping his mark on the squad and a Midlands derby win over Wolves would earn him more brownie points with the City Ground fans.
How the bookies view it: Flying Forest backed to march on
It's no surprise to see Nottingham Forest as Betfred's 21/20 favourites, given they are in better form than Wolves and have home advantage. The Molineux men are 12/5 outsiders and the draw pays 12/5.
Recent head to head: Quick on the draw
Plenty of punters will back the draw for this one as the last four meetings have all ended level. The clash at the City Ground last term was a 2-2 thriller and that followed a 1-1 stalemate at Molineux.
Players to watch: Hudson-Odoi getting back to his best
Callum Hudson-Odoi ended last season in superb form for Nottingham Forest and is getting back to his best with a regular run of games. The former Chelsea winger is 5/2 at Betfred for anytime scorer while Bet365 price him at 11/8 for either a goal or an assist.
Matheus Cunha was Wolves' biggest threat against Chelsea last weekend and could have scored more than the one goal he did get. The Brazilian is 13/5 with Betfred to strike again here.
Probable line-ups
Both managers made changes for their EFL Cup ties in midweek but should be along similar lines to their last Premier League outing. Danilo remains a long-term absentee for Forest while Leon Chiwome, Enso Gonzalez and Sasa Kalajdzic look set to miss out for Wolves.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Murillo, Williams, Milenkovic, Aina, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Elanga, Wood
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Doherty, Ait-Nouri, Mosquera, T Gomes, Lemina, J Gomes, Hwang Hee-Chan, Cunha, Bellegarde, Strand Larsen.
Anything else catch the eye?
There's not much between these sides and it should be a tight game, which makes the half-time draw well worth a look at 6/5.
Cards are another good option, with five yellows flashed when these sides last faced off at the City Ground. Over 42.5 booking points pays 5/6 but there's more value in backing certain players to go in the book.
The midfield battle will be key and Nottingham Forest's Ibrahim Sangare looks overpriced at 3/1 while opposite number Mario Lemina is a bit shorter at 5/2.
This English Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers will be played on Aug 31, 2024 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Nottingham Forest vs Wolverhampton Wanderers prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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