Brentford vs Nottingham Forest
English Premier League, KO: 17:30 Jan 20, 2024, Gtech Community Stadium
BRENTFORD will be hoping the return of star striker Ivan Toney can halt their alarming slide down the Premier Table as he makes his comeback in a crunch clash with Nottingham Forest.
Toney's eight-month ban for betting and a series of injuries to other key players have hurt the Bees badly and they've won just once in their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Seven of those games have ended in defeats, the latest coming in midweek as they crashed out of the FA Cup to Wolves in extra-time, with a BTTS bet landing for our man Slips Tips.
Brentford now sit just three points clear of the drop zone but the situation at the bottom of the table has become complicated with Everton and Nottingham Forest waiting to see if they face punishment for breaching Premier League financial rules.
The Toffees, who have already received one 10-point penalty, are two points behind Brentford, while Nottingham Forest are one point ahead of Thomas Frank's side, having played a game more.
So this clash in London could be pivotal in the relegation scrap and Forest don't look in great shape either, with several of their first-team stars away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
I tipped Nuno Espirito Santo's side to win their FA Cup replay at Blackpool inside 90 minutes and things were looking good when they raced into a 2-0 lead early in the second half.
But Nottingham Forest failed to convince throughout and only scraped through 3-2 in extra-time after some terrible defending allowed the League One side to storm back.
With neither side in great form this is a tough game to call but Frank will be hoping Toney's return gives his team the edge.
How the bookies view it
I'm surprised to see Brentford at odds-on due to their poor form and their best price is 19/20 with 888Sport. Nottingham Forest are as big as 16/5 with Betfair while the draw will be popular at 13/5 with Bet365.
Recent head to head
It ended in a 1-1 draw when these sides faced off at the City Ground earlier this season and there has been nothing between these sides in recent seasons. The last 11 meetings have produced four wins apiece and three stalemates.
Players to watch
All eyes will be on Toney and I'd imagine he will start after scoring a hat-trick for their B team earlier this month. The striker is just 5/4 at Paddy Power for anytime scorer and the odds increase to 7/2 if you back him to score first.
I flagged up Chris Wood for a goal in midweek and it was the Kiwi striker who grabbed Nottingham Forest's winner in extra-time. That made it five goals in five games and he's 3/1 with Bet365 to score again.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams were poor in defence during their FA Cup replays and that suggests we should see goals in this match, although with so much at stake it might be a cagey game. BTTS is just 13/17 at VBet but if you combine that with over 2.5 goals it boosts the odds to 6/5 at Bet365.
There's very little between these sides so it should be a tight game. The half-time draw looks a good option at 13/10 with Unibet while McBookie price a one-goal winning margin for either side at 13/10.
Nottingham Forest midfielder Nicolas Dominguez had plenty of cracks at goal in the replay against Blackpool so it could be worth backing him for a shot on target here at 13/8 with Paddy Power.
This English Premier League match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest will be played on Jan 20, 2024 and kick off at 17:30. Check below for our tipsters best Brentford vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
