Nottingham Forest host newly promoted Coventry, who, with every matchday, are adding their name to more and more Premier League anti-records. And unfortunately, it may get even worse before it gets better.
It took Oliver Glasner four matches to secure his first win with Nottingham Forest, and the fact that it came away at Aston Villa is the most impressive aspect.
This victory is part of a run of three matches without defeat (W1, D2) for the Tricky Trees, so it’s fair to say they’re on the up, but still far from their best form.
The bigger cause for concern is their poor run at home, with Forest having secured just one win in their last 13 Premier League home fixtures. Consequently, a match against the weakest team in the top flight on paper should be a golden opportunity.
Coventry have returned to the top flight after more than 25 years, and all the signs suggest they won’t be staying there for long.
Of course, it is still early days and they may turn things round by the end of the season, but the fact remains that they are only the second team in the top flight’s history to lose their first four matches without scoring a single goal.
They are still a few defeats away from the the worst-ever PL start – seven defeats in seven matches, set by Portsmouth in 09/10 and repeated by Crystal Palace in 17/18 – but their form isn’t particularly encouraging.
How the bookies view it: The negative streak will continue
The bookmakers are unanimous in their view that the home side are clear favourites to take all three points.
At the moment, you can back Nottingham Forest at 13/20, whilst Coventry are available at 17/4. Even a draw is not very expected, with odds of 3/1.
Recent head-to-head: The Tricky Trees are undefeated at home since 2004
It has been more than four years since the last match between the two sides, when they last faced each other in the Championship.
The key point is that, over the last two decades, Nottingham Forest have certainly dominated the rivalry, whilst Coventry have not won at this ground since 2004.
Players to watch: Gibbs-White will be too much to handle
It’s impossible to place any faith in any Coventry player, given that they haven’t scored a single goal in the top flight in four matches.
If we’re to pick a goalscorer, we certainly need to look at the Nottingham line-up, who made quite a few changes to their attack over the summer. Liam Delap, for example, has finally opened his account in the top flight, but I still don’t think he can be called a safe bet.
Once again, I’ll turn to the midfield and Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been a key driving force in Nottingham’s attack for years now. The great thing about him is that he can both score and provide assists. Since the start of the season, he has two assists and one goal in four matches.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Probable line-ups
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Murillo, Diomande, Aina, Munoz, Schlager, McAtee, Williams, Gibbs-White, Jesus, Delap
Coventry: Rushworth, Pinnock, Thomas, Mfuni, Van Ewijk, Dasilva, Onyeka, Grimes, Rudoni, Hamer, Simms
Anything else catch the eye?
Although Nottingham Forest are far from convincing that they’ve turned their form around, Coventry simply don’t look up to Premier League standard at the moment.
It wouldn’t be that huge a surprise if they won, but it’s more likely they’ll lose. The bigger question is whether they’ll finally score a goal, which I reckon is possible against a side that isn’t particularly consistent.
GambleAware