Nottingham Forest v Everton

Nottingham Forest vs Everton Preview

Had it not been for Everton's recent 10-point penalty deduction, there would have been just a single point between Saturday evening's hosts, Nottingham Forest, and their merseyside visitors, Everton, ahead of this upcoming clash at the City Ground but as it is, Forest hold a nine-point lead over The Toffees despite gaining just one win from their last nine league matches overall, while Everton will be looking to produce a response following their 3-0 loss at home to Manchester United.

Nottingham Forest have slowly but steadily descended down the Premier League table to 15th place in the English top flight standings due to picking up just one win since early September which came in the form of a 2-0 home win against Aston Villa but four defeats and four draws have done little to help the Tricky Trees move away from the relegation zone.

Forest do possess an eight-point cushion over third from bottom club, Sheffield United, but the way current form has been, Steve Cooper's men could do with all the help they can get right now!

Results on home soil at the City Ground though continue to produce stubborn resistance as Forest have lost just once to date this term while goals could be thin on the ground as three of their six home games have seen Under 2.5 goals.

Everton's mini revival in recent weeks was not only undone by the 10-point penalty deduction but also by a visiting Manchester United who ran riot at Goodison Park as they inflicted a 3-0 defeat upon a downtrodden Everton side amidst vociferous support from the stands.

Previous wins away from home against London clubs, West Ham and Crystal Palace along with a point in a 1-1 draw at home with Brighton have therefore counted for very little in the big scheme of things as The Toffees once again find themselves back in the relegation zone but nevertheless, the visitors will still take heart from those recent results.

At the very least, it shows Everton are capable of grinding out results on the road under manager, Sean Dyche, who himself started his career at Nottingham Forest as a youth team player but was released without making a first team appearance.

Earlier wins against Brentford and Bournemouth will also give Everton belief that they can make something happen in the east midlands on Saturday evening and having won three of their six outings on the road so far this season, The Toffees might just sneak a narrow win at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest v Everton Verdict

Nottingham Forest need to be careful that the rot doesn't well and truly set in as they need a result against Everton here, but The Toffees will now adopt a siege-mentality and they've proved they can get results away from home.

Therefore, our main bet will be Everton win @ 2.70

Other side bets worth considering:

Everton win & Under 2.5 goals @ 5.50

Correct Score: Everton 1-0 @ 9.00