There's hardly a worse time for Exeter to face a team of Nottingham Forest's stature, but here they are in the final game of this round of the FA Cup. Perhaps they can produce a surprise like the one Plymouth achieved against Liverpool.
Exeter's season has been so poor so far that it's a miracle they've got to this tournament stage. Surprises in the FA Cup can happen, but it's almost certain they'll end their involvement after this game. The Grecians are near the bottom of the standings in League One, having serious problems playing defence. They have conceded as many as 46 goals in 29 games while scoring only 33. They lost four of their last five games, the last three being spectacular losses by 4-1, 2-6, and 1-3 scores. They have just two wins in their last 10 games, one of which came in the last round of the FA Cup against Oxford United.
Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, are in their best period in decades. They are anchored in third place in the Premier League and have conceded just one loss in their last 10 games. Eight of the 10 were wins. Their only mistake was a shocking performance against Bournemouth when they lost 5-0. But Nuno Espirito Santo clearly knows how to tighten his team up because they responded to the loss with a resounding 7-0 win over Brighton.
How the bookies view it: No chances for Exeter
It is impossible to have any doubt which team is the favourite in this clash. The bookies give a solid edge to Nottingham Forest, and you can pick them at 1/4. On the other hand, if you believe in Exeter's chances, you can pick them at 7/1. The draw is your last option, with the bookies pricing it at 11/2.
Recent head to head: Back at it again 70 years later
Although Nottingham Forest resided in the lower leagues until a year and a half ago, they haven't met Exeter in about 70 years. And this will surely be the first and last clash between them for a while.
Players to watch: Awoniyi to score his first cup goal
Quite a few of the other Premier League teams came out with strong starting line-ups in their games, but in Nottingham Forest's case, we don't expect their big stars to take part. It's difficult to pick a goalscorer in such cases, but we'll focus on Taiwo Awoniyi. The Nigerian gets almost no game time in the Premier League but is always a starter in the FA and EFL Cups. But he is yet to score his first goal and what better opportunity than a match with Exeter?
Probable line-ups
Exeter: Mahoney, Freeman, Sweeney, Piergianni, Freestone, Phillips, King, Roberts, Kemp, Reid, Appere
Nottingham Forest: Miguel, Toffolo, Boly, Morato, Moreno, da Silva Moreiro, Danilo, Silva, Yates, Sosa, Awoniyi
Anything else catch the eye?
We can hardly expect anything other than a win for the visitors. Considering the form of the hosts, they are unlikely to get away with 1-2 goals. We expect at least three or more, although Nottingham Forest may stop trying after the first couple of goals.
Nottingham have the third-best defence in the Premier League, so the best option in this clash is to go for a clean sheet. Anything other than that will be a big surprise, even if the visitors come out with a completely changed line-up.
This FA Cup match between Exeter and Nottingham Forest will be played on Feb 11, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Exeter vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
