Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers sit near the bottom of the standings, but the visitors at least have some breathing space — they are outside the relegation zone in 16th place. The hosts are eight points adrift even of second-bottom Burnley, and a third of the season has already passed.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
A change of head coach should in theory improve the situation, but while there are no new transfers it is difficult to change things radically. The departing coach is in any case partly responsible for the situation, but the quality of the squad is crucial. At the moment Wolverhampton Wanderers have roughly the 16th-best squad in the league, so they are still likely to be fighting only for survival. The team did not pick up points under Rob Edwards because they had to play very strong opponents in Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest are indeed 16th, but it is much easier for them to slip into the relegation zone — they are only one point above it — than to climb even one place higher, as they are five points behind the team above them. Under Sean Dyche the team have started to win (already twice), but the distraction of the Europa League is also felt, and they cannot treat that competition as a mere formality. They were to some extent fortunate in one of those victories. Winning at Anfield against Liverpool is no longer an act of heroism, but the result of a clearly prepared game plan.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Nottingham Forest Prediction
This is likely to be a real battle, because matches in the fight for survival are rarely anything else. Even taking into account their slightly more successful previous seasons, Wolverhampton Wanderers have not beaten Nottingham Forest in five matches — four draws and, most recently, a heavy 0:3 defeat. The victory over Liverpool showed that the visitors can beat many teams and certainly Wolverhampton Wanderers.
