Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Nottingham Forest
English Premier League, KO: 20:00 Jan 6, 2025, Molineux
Nottingham Forest's incredible season just keeps getting better but they face a test of mettle in this Midlands derby against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side revived by new boss Vitor Pereira.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side started the season as fourth favourites for the drop in the Premier League but instead they find themselves inside the top four at the turn of the year.
Sunday's 2-0 victory at Everton, which saw Slips Tips go for some foul bets, made it five wins in a row for flying Forest and fans are now starting to dream of a return to European football.
For Wolves, it's all about dodging the drop after Gary O'Neil was sacked with the Molineux men in the drop zone after a damaging defeat to Ipswich.
But the arrival of Pereira has given them a massive lift, with seven points from his first three games in charge lifting Wolves out of the bottom three.
Two bets landed for me as Pereira's side came from behind to claim a 2-2 draw at Spurs on Sunday and the new gaffer will now be looking to boost his popularity further with a Midlands derby win.
How the bookies view it: Forest to stay on a roll
With Nottingham Forest in such impressive form, BoyleSports make them 11/8 favourites for a Molineux win. Both a Wolves win and the stalemate are priced at 2/1.
Recent head to head: Quick on the draw
Betting on the draw might be a smart move in this one as the last five meetings have all ended level. Wolves won the two games before that and Forest's last victory in this fixture came at Molineux back in 2018 when these sides were in the Championship.
Players to watch: Added Morgan's spice
Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White is going up against his old club so the playmaker will be fired up for this one. A goal at Goodison took his tally for the season to three and he's 7/2 at BoyleSports for anytime scorer. An assist is more likely and that's priced at a healthy 11/2 by Bet365.
A two-match suspension for star man Matheus Cunha is a big blow for Wolves, although the Brazilian was lucky his punishment wasn't more severe for an incident involving a staff member from Ipswich. Others will need to step up and Hwang Hee-Chan is a tempting 11/4 to make three goals in three games.
Probable line-ups
In addition to missing Cunha, Wolves are set to be without Pablo Sarabia, Mario Lemina, Yerson Mosquera, Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore and Enso Gonzalez.
Nottingham Forest are sweating over key defender Murillo after he missed the win over Everton. Midfield duo Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo remain sidelined.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: Sa, Semedo, Ait-Nouri, Doherty, Bueno, Dawson, Andre, J Gomes, Strand Larsen, Hwang, Guedes.
Nottingham Forest: Selz, Williams, Aina, Morato, Milenkovic, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Ward-Prowse, Elanga, Hudson-Odoi, Wood.
Anything else catch the eye?
With matches between these sides being so tight in recent seasons, the half-time draw looks a good option at evens with BoyleSports.
Over 2.5 goals has only come up in one of the last six meetings so it could pay to back under 2.5 strikes in this one, although the odds aren't great at just 4/5.
Seven yellows were flashed when these sides faced off earlier this season so it could pay to back a busy day for the referee. Over 50.5 booking points pays 11/10 at BoyleSports while Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes appeals at 7/4 to pick up a card.
This English Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest will be played on Jan 6, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
