Brentford cannot hold on to wins: Brentford vs Nottingham Forest prediction
On October 31, Brentford will host Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium in the ninth round of the English Premier League. The hosts sit sixth despite going through a difficult spell, while the visitors are in the relegation zone. Neither team has won in four consecutive league matches, making this clash an opportunity to end an unwanted run.
Brentford: a high position despite dropped points
Keith Andrews' side have won just one of their last seven league matches but remain among the table's leaders. Their most recent victory came against Chelsea (3-0), followed by draws with Aston Villa (2-2) and Hull (1-1), as well as defeats to Liverpool (1-2) and Sunderland (2-3) in different competitions. The Bees' main problem is their inability to protect a lead. They opened the scoring in eight of their last ten games but failed to win on five occasions. The defeat to Liverpool was particularly painful, with the London side finishing the match with nine men.
Before the home fixture, Andrews will receive a boost in midfield as Vitaly Janelt returns from suspension. Egor Yarmolyuk, however, is still serving a three-match ban, while Josh Dasilva, Antoni Milambo, Rico Henry and Kaye Furo are injured. Kevin Schade, who has scored three goals, is carrying the main attacking burden. Igor Thiago has found the net just once so far, meaning the team's scoring output depends heavily on support from the midfield.
Nottingham Forest: poor finishing prolongs the crisis
Oliver Glasner's side sit 18th and are winless in four straight league matches, suffering three defeats in that run. In the previous round, the Tricky Trees drew 1-1 with Ipswich despite creating enough chances to win. The visitors' problem is their finishing: they have scored just six goals in eight rounds, sharing the worst attacking record in the Premier League. In six matches, the team either failed to score altogether or managed just one goal. At the same time, a victory over Brentford could lift the visitors several places up the table.
Dan Ndoye and Morgan Gibbs-White remain the key figures in attack. The former is the only player in the squad to have scored more than once in the league, while the latter has registered two assists. Liam Delap has scored just once since joining from Chelsea. Nicolas Dominguez and Neco Williams could recover in time for the match, while Igor Jesus and Nicolo Savona are likely to remain out of the squad.
Match facts and head-to-head meetings
- Brentford have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches
- Nottingham Forest have scored just six goals in eight league rounds
- Brentford opened the scoring in eight of their last ten matches but failed to win five of them
Will the hosts end their winless run: Brentford vs Nottingham Forest prediction
Brentford regularly create chances and are capable of scoring against strong opponents, but a lack of concentration after taking the lead keeps costing them points. Against a side in the relegation zone, the Londoners have a good opportunity to put things right.
Nottingham Forest can take advantage of the hosts' mistakes, but their poor finishing remains a serious obstacle. Brentford have more players capable of deciding the outcome through individual brilliance. We expect a hard-fought contest, but believe the hosts will ultimately gain the upper hand.
