Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth

Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth Preview

Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth meet at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon no doubt keen to improve upon last season's Premier League finishes of 17th and 12th respectively this time around, with Nottingham Forest finishing six points above the relegation zone while Bournemouth improved upon the season before as The Cherries ended up in 12th place in the table and 22 points above the relegation zone.

Having been handed a four-point penalty earlier in the season, it was always going to be a tough campaign for the Tricky Trees and this certainly proved to be the case as the east midlands club struggled to pick up league wins on a regular basis in the top flight.

Indeed, Nottingham Forest achieved just three wins in their last 13 matches overall in the Premier League which came through victories against Fulham, Sheffield United and Burnley respectively, but also includes being dealt no fewer than seven defeats in the process as well.

Forest's best spell, and indeed, the only time they captured back-to-back wins in last season's campaign was during the festive period when they registered wins against Newcastle United and Manchester United, but this was followed by picking up just four further wins in their subsequent 18 league matches which was a very poor run of results.

Despite losing their last three league games on the trot, Bournemouth still managed their best top flight finish since the 2017/18 season under former manager Eddie Howe, as the south coast club ended up in 12th place under Spanish manager Andoni Iraola last term.

Losses at the hands of title chasers Arsenal along with losses to Brentford and a much improved Chelsea outfit were understandable but Bournemouth had collected back-to-back wins previously courtesy of wins against Wolves and Brighton respectively.

Bournemouth's results in last season's run-in was far superior than that of their upcoming hosts, Nottingham Forest, as The Cherries lost just five of their last 13 league matches whilst also picking up six wins in the process which included wins away from home at Burnley and Wolves.

The south coast visitors had also previously racked up four away wins on the trot as Andoni Iraola's side had captured victories on the road at Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest respectively, the latter being an entertaining and high-scoring 3-2 win at the City Ground.

Bournemouth subsequently picked up just two further wins on the road in their final 10 outings but the goals market also appeals here as seven of these last 10 away games also resulted in Over 2.5 goals.

Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth Verdict

With 10 of Nottingham Forest's 19 home games last season seeing over 2.5 goals in the Premier League suggests we can expect a few goals to unfold at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.

Therefore, our main bet will be Over 2.5 goals @ 1.72

Other side bets worth considering:

Bournemouth win @ 2.90

Correct Score: Bournemouth win & Over 2.5 goals @ 4.33