Football
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur Preview: Tips, Odds, and Prediction – Dec 26, 2024
High-flying Nottingham Forest welcome an inconsistent Tottenham to the City Ground in a Boxing Day showdown in what is expected to be a close contest, with neither team an outright favourite to win in our overall assessment of the game. The anticipation for this one is palpable and Premier League betting fans looking for the best odds, tips and prediction should read along with us in this in-depth preview.
Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League//Getty Images
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur: No Clear Favourite
Tottenham travel to the Premier League’s surprise team of the season, Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees have done exceptionally well under Steve Cooper’s guidance with eight wins, four draws and four losses at the time of writing.
Their goals tally is not that great compared to the other teams in the top five, but their overall game management when leading has been a catalyst for their successes so far. The visiting team are the second-highest-scoring team with thirty-six goals scored so far and that record could increase in the encounter that precedes this one.
Looking at both teams, we do not see a clear favourite but it will be a tough game with minimal margins.
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Close Encounter Expected
Home 159/100 (2.59) 38.6%
Draw 67/25 (3.68) 27.2%
Away 38/25 (2.52) 39.7%
*Odds courtesy of N1Bet subject to change
Head-to-Head record
Nottingham Forest will be looking for their first win against Tottenham in the Premier league in twenty-seven years and this is probably a result of having spent most of their time in England’s lower divisions.
Last 5 Meetings (Premier League)
07/04/24 Tottenham 3 Nottingham Forest 1
15/12/23 Nottingham Forest 0 Tottenham 2
11/03/23 Tottenham 3 Nottingham Forest 1
28/08/22 Nottingham Forest 0 Tottenham 2
04/17/99 Nottingham Forest 0 Tottenham 1
Nottingham Current Form – WWLWL
Having finished 17th last season, Forest find themselves in unfamiliar territory and it’s all down to good form. As of writing, in their last five games, they secured nine points and are in fourth position, just above Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Their biggest wins in that run were over Aston Villa and Manchester United but unfortunately against last season’s number one and two teams, the gulf in class was too much for them to handle.
Going into this one, against a very inconsistent Tottenham, they can force a favourable result as far as we see it based on form.
Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi//Getty Images
Key Players to Watch
- Anthony Elanga: The young Swede has been making strides in the team and has held on to his spot with consistent game time recently. His presence gives the backline some assurance and will be very key in this encounter.
- Nikola Milenkovic: The twenty-seven-year-old Milenkovic scored in two consecutive games for his team against Villa and Amorim’s Manchester United, goals that were crucial. Against Villa, he scored the equalizing goal which spurred his team’s momentum to an eventual win. Against United, he scored the opening goal in the second minute of the game and held solid at the back to help Forest secure a win.
- Chris Wood: Their top scorer this season with ten goals and joint number five with Bryan Mbuemo at the time of writing, Chris Wood has been a catalyst for his team’s successful season so far. If he is firing on all cylinders on the day, then he is someone to certainly look out for.
Nottingham News
Some keen developments will be taking place at the City Ground as Roma’s ex-Chief, Linna Souloukou, will be joining as chief executive for the team’s global network. Monza’s Francois Modesto is also said to be joining and will be working with the latter.
Tottenham Current Form – WLLDW
The visitors haven’t quite clicked this season, and their most recent results indicate inconsistency with only two wins in a five-game run.
Their 5-0 thrashing against Southampton is not something to read into, as they beat the whipping boys of the league, it was expected given the quality players they have in their squad.
Based on form, they need the win more than Forest but their away record is not that convincing, having lost three of their last five games. Perhaps that can be attributable to their European travels as they do have an effect on a team’s performance.
Key Players to Watch
- James Maddison: Seven goals and four assists so far this season are good numbers for James Maddison, but he can do better. He is on the ascendency though, having scored two braces against Southampton and Manchester City in their last two away wins and will probably continue as such coming into this one.
- Son Heung-Min: The South Korean forward’s pacey runs and assists will come in handy in this game. With him, Tottenham are able to break out and catch teams on the counter if given the space and his six assists are a testament to this assessment, as most of them came through transitional play.
- Djed Spence: Spence’s runs down the right flank as a fullback offer his team a lot of options in terms of creativity for crosses to the strikers and defensively he also offers cover at the back with tackles and the ability to read the game well. He hasn’t featured that much this season and is not a regular in the team, but if he gets a start, he will surely play like he did against Southampton, where he was one of the standout players.
Tottenham News
The Fluminense President says that Tottenham are open to listening to offers for out-of-favour forward Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game suspension appeal has been dismissed.
Predicted Line-ups
Nottingham Forest: 4-2-3-1
Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Yates, Dominguez, Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood
Tottenham: 4-3-3
Forster, Udogie, Davison, Dragusin, Spence, Maddison, Bissouma, Sarr, Johnson, Solanke, Son
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Double Chance – Nottingham/Tottenham: Although they last beat the visitors in 2022 in a domestic cup game, their recent form is an indicator of that result possibly repeating itself. We would have preferred to go for a draw and Forest win owing to the closeness of this encounter, but can’t disregard Tottenham who blow hot and cold these days. They might just show up and pull out a thrashing similar to Manchester City’s. (3/10 with Betway), (7/25 with N1Bet).
Both Teams to Score – Yes: Both teams have produced games where either opponent scored in their most recent results against top opponents or teams higher than them up the table. Forest played to 2-1 and 3-2 results against Aston Villa and Manchester United respectively, while Tottenham produced a 4-3 loss and 1-1 draw against Fulham and Chelsea. We believe these types of scores are very likely in this game. (49/100 with Betway), (12/25 with N1Bet).
Draw No Bet – Nottingham: This a very safe bet to consider when putting together your bet. Just in case you believe Forest might just beat Postecoglou’s men but aren’t so sure, a draw no bet will void the bet if the game results in a draw and you will still get your money. This is very possible in our assessment because the home team has the potential to win but the opponent is very tricky and might just force a draw considering their inconsistent nature of late. (93/100 with Betway), (51/50 N1Bet).
Value Bets
1X2 and Overs/Unders (Total 1.5) – Draw and Over 1.5: The visiting team is not doing so well this season compared to Nottingham and we are not so sure of an outright win for the latter, but the game will produce goals and a draw would be a good result for the home team, who have done relatively well against the big teams and those in the top ten except for Manchester City and Newcastle who beat them convincingly. (31/10 with Betway)
Both Halves Over 1.5 – Yes: Considering Tottenham’s high-scoring nature and the resoluteness of the home team to either come back when trailing or double their lead, this will be a high-scoring encounter and both halves will produce over 1.5 goals. Another thing to consider is the high-scoring nature of Premier League games on Boxing Day, so do keep that in mind. (3/1 with Betway)
1st Half – 1X2 – Draw: At home, Steve Cooper’s team has been very difficult to crack and they have made the City Ground a fortress. In their last five games home games, they only lost once and won the other four, playing a draw or winning the first half in four of those five games. We foresee a similar result in this encounter and are of the opinion that they will be hard to crack in the first half. (71/50 with Betway)
Prediction: Draw and Both Teams to Score
Nottingham are likely to force a draw in this game, but this is not to say they are not capable of beating a top team as they already have this season against Manchester United. However, this encounter will be very close and both teams will score. Tottenham are free scoring but leaky at the back and for this reason, the market will result.
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jimmy holds a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a passionate sports enthusiast with broad knowledge across various disciplines.
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