Run Forest Run: Nottingham Forest’s Premier League 24/25 Odds

Another Miracle in the Making?

Nuno Espírito Santo’s Nottingham Forest carriage may be turning into a pumpkin. With just three matches left in the Premier League season, they’ve slipped out of the Champions League spots. Having spent most of the campaign in third place, they now risk finishing as low as seventh.

Nottingham Forest Top 5 Finish

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3/2

But hold off on tearing your betting slips just yet. If you’ve already backed the Tricky Trees, don’t panic—we’ll explain why this season should still be seen as a success, what the road ahead looks like, and which odds are worth a closer look.

Nottingham Forest Betting Odds

Who would’ve thought we’d be talking about Nottingham Forest as a genuine Champions League contender? Get this—back in August 2024, Betfred had Forest at 50/1 to finish in the top six. A £10 punt would’ve netted you £500.

Nottingham Forest Top Finish Odds

Forest’s main rivals for a Champions League berth are Newcastle, Chelsea, and Aston Villa. Manchester City, it seems, have found their rhythm and won’t be caught. In fact, it was Guardiola’s men who knocked Forest out of the FA Cup.

But one thing working in Santo’s favour is the fixture list: two of their final three matches are against bottom sides, and two are at home—including a potentially decisive clash with Chelsea.

Remaining Fixtures: Leicester City (H), West Ham United (A), Chelsea (H)

Nottingham Forest Analysis

Nuno Espírito Santo took the reins at Forest last season when they were teetering on the edge of relegation. He narrowly kept them up—finishing with 32 points, the lowest total ever to survive in the Premier League.

After several chaotic transfer windows, stability has finally returned to the City Ground. The club made smart moves, selling Moussa Niakhaté and Orel Mangala to Lyon, and engineering a creative FFP-friendly deal with Newcastle: £20m for Odysseas Vlachodimos out, £38m for rising midfield star Elliot Anderson in.

Key Signings:

• Elliot Anderson – Newcastle (£38m)

• Nikola Milenković – Fiorentina (£12m)

• Jota Silva – Vitória Guimarães (£6m)

• Marko Stamenić – Red Star Belgrade (£5m)

• Carlos Miguel – Corinthians (£3m)

• Eric da Silva Moreira – St. Pauli (£1m)

They also managed to retain key figures like Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood, and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Santo’s system is cautious and defensive. Forest sit deep, defend in numbers, and launch quick counters down the wings. Their approach has been efficient—and surprisingly effective.

Chris Wood has been pivotal, not just as a scorer but in dragging defenders out of position. With 19 goals, he’s fourth in the Premier League’s Golden Boot race and the fourth favorite with bookmakers.

Catching Mohamed Salah seems far-fetched, but while Wood hunts goals, Anthony Elanga has been racking up assists. He ranks sixth in the league with nine, though bookmakers remain unconvinced.

Forest’s attack is clearly underestimated. Maybe that’s their secret weapon? They sit 11th in goals scored and 5th in counter-attacking goals. Still, their real foundation is a rock-solid defense.

Nottingham Forest 2024-25 Season Stats

Matz Sels has arguably been Forest’s player of the season. He leads the league in clean sheets (13) and has prevented around seven goals beyond expectation. With an xGA of 39.43 from open play, Forest have only conceded 32, and just 4 goals from corners against an xGA of 8.76. Sels is not just Forest’s top individual performer—he’s the bookmakers’ favourite for the Golden Glove.

Matz Sels Golden Glove

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9/20

Forest’s Future Prospects

One thing is clear: Evangelos Marinakis is in it for the long haul. The Greek billionaire and club owner has greenlit plans to expand the City Ground to 40,000 seats. He also owns Olympiacos and Portuguese club Rio Ave, forming a multi-club setup similar to Manchester City’s.

Marinakis’s ambition is plain: reach the Champions League. It’s been nearly 50 years since Forest’s legendary run of back-to-back European Cup victories. This might just be their best chance to return to Europe’s top tier. Surprise top-four finishes have become more common—Newcastle pulled it off two seasons ago, Aston Villa last year. And who could forget Leicester or Wolves’ fairytale runs?

Nottingham Forest Top 5 Finish

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3/2