AFC Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest
English Premier League, KO: 14:00 Feb 4, 2024, Vitality Stadium
NOTTINGHAM FOREST are sitting a bit too close to the drop zone for comfort and desperately need some Premier League points when they head south to take on AFC Bournemouth.
Binning boss Steve Copper just before Christmas looked to be a smart move from the Nottingham Forest board after replacement Nuno Espirito Santo led them to rousing wins over Newcastle and Manchester United during the festive period.
But results and performances have dipped since then, with the only victory coming in an FA Cup replay where League One Blackpool came from 2-0 down to force extra-time.
Premier League defeats to Brentford and Arsenal have left Santo's side looking over their shoulder at the bottom of the table and there's also the looming threat of a points deduction for breaches of profit and sustainability rules.
Nottingham Forest need to start getting more points on board and a victory at AFC Bournemouth could also drag the Cherries back into the relegation mix.
Gaffer Andoni Iraola was under a bit of pressure himself earlier in the season after taking 10 games to chalk up his first Premier League victory. But Bournemouth then embarked on a stunning seven-game unbeaten run, with six victories firing them up the table.
Successive league defeats to Tottenham and Liverpool and a draw with West Ham have seen them go off the rails a bit, with Thursday night's stalemate at the London Stadium letting down our man Mark after he backed the Cherries to win.
That has left AFC Bournemouth eight points clear of the drop zone and Iraola will be desperate to get back to winning ways when Nottingham Forest come calling.
How the bookies view it
Nottingham Forest are outsiders after a bad run of form and can be backed at 15/4 with BetVictor. Bournemouth's best price is a poor 8/11 at Coral while the draw pays 16/5 with VBet.
Recent head to head
AFC Bournemouth won 3-2 when these sides faced off at the City Ground for Santo's first game in charge, although the Cherries were helped by a harsh red card for Wily Boly in the first half. Bournemouth have been a bogey team for Nottingham Forest in recent seasons, going seven games without defeat in this fixture.
Players to watch
It's hard to look past Dominic Solanke for a Bournemouth goal, given he netted a hat-trick when these sides last faced off. The striker is enjoying the best season of his career and looks good value at 6/4 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
I dipped in and out of Nottingham Forest's midweek loss to Arsenal and the only time they looked threatening was when Morgan Gibbs-White was running at the Gunners. The playmaker is 11/2 at SkyBet for a goal but it might be better backing him for an assist at 5/1 with Bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Nottingham Forest have conceded two or more goals in four of their last five games so there could be a bit of value in backing Bournemouth to score in both halves at 6/4 with Bet365. The Cherries have also conceded in four of their last five so combining BTTS with over 2.5 goals could pay off at evens with William Hill.
Brazilian defender Murillo was lucky to escape a card for Forest in midweek and loves a tackle. He's a tempting 4/1 with Bet365 to go into the book here and Paddy Power price him at 11/5 to commit over 1.5 fouls.
Alex Scott is starting to make an impact at Bournemouth and the former Bristol City star has two goals in his last five appearances. He's 43/20 with Unibet just to have a shot on target in this game, which looks good value if he starts.
This English Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest will be played on Feb 4, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. 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.
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