Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth: Preview, predictions and lineups
- Nottingham Forest welcome Bournemouth to the City Ground on opening weekend of Premier League season
- Nuno Espirito Santo taking charge of first full year at Forest
- Cherries enjoyed promising debut campaign under Andoni Iraola
Nottingham Forest open their Premier League campaign for 2024/25 on Saturday afternoon as they welcome Bournemouth to the City Ground.
Having succeeded Steve Cooper midway through last season, Nuno Espirito Santo guided Forest to safety and an uncharacteristically serene summer has some hoping for an improvement this term following back-to-back relegation scraps.
Forest have been able to retain their core, brush off any financial concerns and bolster a couple of positions astutely.
Their opening assignment of the new campaign is a tricky one, however. After a horrible start, Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth came on strong last season and certainly showed during purple patches what they were all about with their Spanish manager at the helm. The Cherries have lost their leading scorer from 2023/24 in Dominic Solanke, turning to Porto's Evanilson as a replacement.
Solanke's exit is undoubtedly a big blow and Iraola will have to perform superbly on the touchlines for Bournemouth to improve upon their 12th-place finish.
Here's 90min's preview of this Premier League opening weekend encounter.
What time does Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth kick-off?
- Location: Nottingham, England
- Stadium: City Ground
- Date: Saturday 17 August
- Kick-off Time: 15:00 BST / 12:00 ET / 09:00 PT
- Referee: Michael Oliver
- VAR: Andy Madley
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth H2H Record (Last Five Games)
- Nottingham Forest: 0 wins
- Bournemouth: 3 wins
- Draws: 2
- Last meeting: Bournemouth 1-1 Nottingham Forest (4 February 2024) - Premier League
Current form (all competitions)
Nottingham Forest | Bournemouth |
|---|---|
Olympiacos 3-4 Nottingham Forest - 08/08/24 | Bournemouth 3-2 Girona - 10/08/24 |
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Villarreal - 02/08/24 | Bournemouth 1-0 Rayo Vallecano - 04/08/24 |
Elche 1-0 Nottingam Forest - 26/07/24 | Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth - 25/07/24 |
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Millwall - 23/07/24 | Wrexham 1-1 Bournemouth - 21/07/24 |
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Sunderland - 19/07/24 | Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth - 19/05/24 |
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth on TV and live stream
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | BBC Radio Nottingham (not televised) |
United States | Peacock |
Canada | fuboTV Canada |
Nottingham Forest team news
The hosts are set to be buoyed by a clean bill of health heading into Matchday 1. Forest were plagued by key absences last season but they've avoided the injury bug over the summer.
Santo should adopt a familiar starting XI with a Premier League debut for centre-back Nikola Milenkovic alongside Murillo.
Matz Sels will open the season as the club's number one, while Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga are set to operate behind Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.
Bournemouth team news
Bournemouth will hope to wrap up the signing of Solanke's replacement Evanilson in the wake of Saturday's game. In the absence of a recognised number nine, Antoine Semenyo could lead the line.
The visitors are missing Enes Unal, Tyler Adams and David Brooks through injuries, while goalkeeper Neto and centre-back Marcos Senesi are both doubts. If Senesi isn't fit, exciting summer signing Dean Huijsen should make his first Premier League start.
Bournemouth predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest
Bournemouth predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Tavernier, Kluivert, Sinisterra; Semenyo.
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth score prediction
Forest's smart summer and the loss of Solanke would point towards a home victory, but history matters and Bournemouth have dominated this match-up in recent years.
The Cherries are unbeaten in eight games against Forest, last tasting defeat all the way back in 2015. While their spirits might be down due to the loss of their leading marksman, the visitors will surely be buoyed by their recent success in this fixture.
Bournemouth are much more than Solanke, too. Iraola is an excellent coach and they should be able to control a Forest team that will aim to play in transition on Saturday. This could be a back-and-forth affair with the hosts perhaps enjoying a bright start, but Bournemouth are ultimately the better side and it wouldn't be surprising if they continued their productive run in this fixture away from home.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Bournemouth
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