Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Bournemouth caused a stir in the last round by halting the seemingly unstoppable Newcastle United. This time, they face a surprise package still holding onto a top-three spot despite all odds.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth didn't just edge past Newcastle United; they thrashed them at St James' Park (4:1) with Alexander Isak present, who failed to score for the first time in nine Premier League rounds. Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick, having already netted against Chelsea. The forward now boasts ten goals in the 2024/25 Premier League season. Bournemouth remain unbeaten in the English top flight since 30 November—over ten matches, recording six wins and four draws.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest have been on a roll over the same period, collecting a perfect tally of 18 points from six victories out of six matches between 7 December and 6 January. However, Liverpool visited next, and Nottingham Forest barely escaped with a draw (1:1). In the last round, as expected of a leader, they defeated bottom-placed Southampton, but only narrowly (3:2). The team should reflect on that result since, after leading 3:0 at half-time, they allowed it to end 3:2 by the 91st minute, and there were ten minutes of injury time to play.
Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest Prediction
Bournemouth are the favourites, despite sitting lower in the table, due to historical results. They haven't lost to Nottingham Forest since the Championship season of 2020/21 across nine encounters (five wins and four draws), and currently, their form matches or even surpasses that of Nottingham Forest.
