A potentially pivotal showdown in the Premier League relegation scrap takes place at the City Ground on Sunday as Nottingham Forest entertain Everton.
While Steve Cooper's side are still well placed in 13th spot with 14 rounds of fixtures left to play, they're not completely out of the relegation picture.
That was evident last time out as the Tricky Trees' dismal form on the road continued as they found themselves on the receiving end of a 4-0 whacking from West Ham.
However, back on home turf this weekend, Forest could give themselves some breathing space on the bottom three clubs with a win over relegation rivals Everton.
The Toffees have had a mixed start to life under Sean Dyche, with former Burnley boss winning two and losing three of his opening five fixtures in charge
Last time out, 18th-placed Everton's relegation fears heightened after they were pummelled 4-0 by Premier League pacesetters Arsenal.
Outright Betting
The bookies are finding it hard to separate the teams with Nottingham Forest narrow favourites at 17/10 (Bet 365) while a share of the City Ground spoils pays 11/5 (Spreadex)
Everton, who have lost each of their two away matches under Sean Dyche's guidance, head to the Midlands as marginal 7/4 (Bet 365) outsiders.
Betting Angles
This feels like a tricky fixture to tackle from a 1×2 perspective so I'm going to bypass the outright betting and instead back Under Four Match Goals, Each Team to Receive a Card and Over Three Match Cards at 4/5 (Bet 365).
Goals have been in short supply at the City Ground this season, with nine of Nottingham Forest's 12 Premier League home fixtures featuring Under 2.5 Goals.
That sample includes seven of the Tricky Trees' last eight league games in front of their own fans and it's hard to envisage that trend changing here in a high-stakes affair of this kind.
Although Everton are residing in the relegation zone at present, matches involving the Toffees have also tended to be tight affairs this term, with 16 of their 25 Premier League games delivering Under 2.5 strikes
What's more, six of the Toffees' last eight top-flight road trips have featured two goals of fewer, not to mention unders copped when these two teams locked horns at Goodison Park back in August.
I'm therefore more than happy to side with under four goals in this crunch clash, but to boost the price, I'll also go with each team to receive a card and over three match cards.
Both of these relegation battlers are averaging over two yellow cards per-game in the Premier League, with Forest's figure sitting at 2.08 per 90, while Everton are earning 2.17.
It's also worth pointing out that referee John Brook's has been one of the more card-happy operators in the top-flight this term, averaging 4.33 yellows per-game, and you have to imagine he will be kept busy here in a game between two sides scrapping for survival.
When you consider this Bet Builder would have yielded profit form Nottingham Forest's recent home match with fellow strugglers Leeds, as well as the fact that the same combination has clicked in thee of Everton five outings since Sean Dyche's took the reins, siding with the same bet on the banks of the Trent on Sunday holds appeal at 4/5 (Bet 365).
This English Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Everton will be played on Mar 5, 2023 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Nottingham Forest vs Everton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
