AFC Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest
English Premier League, KO: 15:00 Jan 21, 2023, Vitality Stadium
Bournemouth will be looking to snap a poor run when they host Nottingham Forest in a Premier League fixture on Saturday.
The hosts are coming off a 2-0 defeat at Brentford in their previous Premier League fixture. They saw plenty of possession and had a few chances but lacked the cutting edge in attack, finishing with just two attempts on target.
The pressure appears to be mounting on manager Gary O’Neil as that result means Bournemouth are now on a six match losing run across all competitions. They have been on a consistent slide down the table and are now just one point above the relegation places.
One of the major problems for Bournemouth is their vulnerable defence that has struggled to keep clean sheets. A typical example of this is the 4-2 FA Cup defeat to Championship side Burnley in their previous home fixture.
Nottingham Forest have also had their problems this season but are faring better than Bournemouth at the moment. Steve Cooper’s men have some daylight between themselves and the relegation zone and are four points above the Cherries.
Forest claimed a 2-0 victory over Leicester City in their previous Premier League fixture with Brennan Johnson getting both goals. The result is a continuation of their recent good form as they have now suffered just one defeat in their last five matches across all competitions.
While Nottingham Forest have generally been in good form lately, there are still a few issues that need to be addressed. Their away form is one of such problems having won just once in their last nine Premier League fixtures on the road while they have also kept only two clean sheets in that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be split on this one with a win for Bournemouth priced at 30/17 with SBK while a victory for Nottingham Forest is valued at 9/5 by bet365. A draw is set at odds of 23/10 by Unibet.
Head to head
Bournemouth have a 7-4 advantage with five draws from 16 previous matches against Nottingham Forest. The Cherries also claimed a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture back in September, coming back from two goals down to claim the win.
Players to watch
While Bournemouth have not been particularly prolific this season, Kieffer Moore has notched up a few important goals, particularly at the Vitality Stadium. The striker has found the net three times in the last five home matches across all competitions and is priced at 23/10 by William Hill to get on the score sheet.
Brennan Johnson has been the man in form for Nottingham Forest in recent weeks and is coming off a brace in his last outing. The forward was also on target in the reverse fixture and is priced at 10/3 by bet365 to find the net.
Anything else catch the eye?
There was a five-goal thriller in the reverse fixture and a similar outcome could be on the cards on Saturday. Over 3.5 goals is valued at 16/5 by SBK, over 2.5 goals is priced at 6/5 by bet365, who are also offering 10/11 on both teams to score.
Nottingham Forest have grabbed the first goal in three of their last four matches and also took the lead in the reverse fixture. They could be backed to score first on Saturday at 11/10 with Coral.
This English Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest will be played on Jan 21, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best AFC Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
