English Premier
2022-09-16 - Nottingham Forest vs Fulham
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Friday 16th September 2022 - Kick Off 8pm
Nottingham Forest
An unexpected two week break in September without players needing to jet off for international duty has to be seen as a bonus for Steve Cooper and his Nottingham Forest squad. A huge investment was made in the summer to improve the playing squad, but Cooper may have finally had the time to really get his ideas across to the new faces and he will be looking for a morale boosting win.
No one will doubt the work Steve Cooper has done at the City Ground over the last twelve months, but the owner has not dipped into his wallet in the manner he has without expecting results. The manager will know this and Steve Cooper will be looking for a big performance from Nottingham Forest who are 19th in the Premier League table and with 4 points on the board. The Tricky Trees have a 1-0-2 record at the City Ground where they have scored 3 goals and conceded 5 and the fans will be looking for an improvement of that record this week.
Nottingham Forest have not only failed to win any of their last 4 Premier League games since the victory over West Ham United, but they have lost their last 3 League games. They have had two weeks to think about their last fixture where Nottingham Forest led Bournemouth 2-0 at the City Ground before a second half capitulation in the 2-3 defeat. That result also means Nottingham Forest have lost 3 of their last 4 at home in all competitions.
Omar Richards, Orel Mangala and Moussa Niakhate are all expected to miss out. Steve Cooper may choose to freshen up the starting eleven after the defeat to Bournemouth two weeks ago.
Fulham
Two seasons ago Fulham spent an awful lot of money in the summer transfer window, but Scott Parker failed to get the best out of his players and they were relegated without much of a fight. This time around Marco Silva has been tasked with working with the majority of the squad that guided Fulham back to the top flight at the first attempt and that continuity seems to have been the right decision.
It helps that Fulham have been boosted by Aleksander Mitrovic finally finding his Premier League goal-scoring boots and they are 10th in the table with a healthy 8 points already secured. Home form has been the key for Fulham who have a 0-1-2 away record heading into their final September fixture.
Fulham were narrowly beaten 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur two weeks ago and they have now lost 3 of their last 4 games in all competitions, although the win over Brighton during that run has kept them ticking over. All of the losses have been away from home and means Fulham have lost 5 of their last 7 away games in all competitions going back to the end of last season. Fulham have scored in their last couple of away Premier League games, but they have conceded twice in 4 of their last 5 on their travels overall.
Antonee Robinson is hoping the extra week of recovery time is enough to become available for this fixture. Harry Wilson is getting closer and closer to a full return to training, but is not expected back before the end of October.
Head to Head
Nottingham Forest and Fulham were promoted from the Championship together last season and both were able to beat the other away from home in the campaign.
The 0-4 win for Fulham at the City Ground means they have won on their last 3 visits here.
Prediction
Two newly promoted clubs meet in this important fixture and you have to imagine that games like these could be pivotal to the final shake up of the League positions in May.
There is no doubting that Fulham have made the stronger start in their return to the Premier League, but the West London club are far from a convincing away team. Even in their home games, Fulham have looked vulnerable at the back and I do think Marco Silva will be keen to see his team tightening up if they are going to have realistic ambitions of surviving at this level.
In saying that, the approach taken by Marco Silva has been very positive and Fulham's players seem to be responding to the attacking intent the manager wants them to play with. Aleksander Mitrovic in particular has looked like a proper Premier League striker having failed in his last couple of seasons at this level and I think Fulham will head to the City Ground with a lot of confidence in being able to out-score their hosts.
Nottingham Forest will also have one or two confidence issues of their own to sort through having somehow blown a 2-0 lead over Bournemouth in a 2-3 home loss two weeks ago. They were as dominant in the first half of that match as they were outplayed in the second half and Steve Cooper will be under pressure to get a much more rounded performance from his team.
The owner will be grateful to Cooper for bringing Nottingham Forest back to the Premier League after a twenty-three year absence, but a lot of money has been invested in the summer to avoid relegation. Another defeat could easily see a change made in the September international break and I do think Steve Cooper is under pressure to help his team find the victory in this one.
Having the two week break between games may have worked out for the manager as he can really begin to get his ideas and methods across to a host of new faces in the dressing room. Steve Cooper has to also feel that his Nottingham Forest team have shown enough in the attacking third to believe they can hurt Fulham and I am expecting a fixture which sees both teams looking to use attack as the best form of defence.
It would not be a surprise if both teams score and the draw probably suits Fulham more than Nottingham Forest. However, I am not expecting the home team to sit back and this could be a game that sees plenty of chances created and with at least three goals shared out.
My narrow edge is with Nottingham Forest who should have been out of sight before the Bournemouth fightback two weeks ago, but Fulham can play their part in an entertaining fixture.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Fulham
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Over 2.5 Goals at 1.91 with Bet365
