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Nottingham Forest, initially predicted to struggle and possibly finish at the bottom of the Premier League this season, has defied expectations. Under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, the team quickly moved away from the relegation zone and even started to dream of European qualification.
Despite a heavy 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, Forest bounced back with impressive wins, defeating Manchester United 2-3 away and Aston Villa 2-1 at home. Last weekend, they traveled to Brentford, maintaining their positive momentum. On the other hand, Tottenham, eager to secure a Champions League spot, has faced struggles with consistency this season.
The London side has been inconsistent, and in order to return to the top four, they must address their flaws. After going three games without a win, including one draw and two losses, Spurs responded with a commanding 0-5 victory over Southampton. They now face Manchester United in the EFL Cup and Liverpool in the league this weekend. In the Europa League, Tottenham is currently in 9th place and hopes to secure a direct qualification for the round of 16.
Nottingham Forest still has key players missing, notably midfielders Danilo and Sangaré. However, manager Espirito Santo can rely on Chris Wood, the team’s top scorer with 10 goals in the Premier League. He will likely be supported by attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White (2 goals, 2 assists).
Wingers Anthony Elanga (1 goal, 2 assists) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (2 goals) are available, as well as midfielder Gustavo Scarpa (5 assists). Tottenham, meanwhile, is missing several important players, including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, and others like Ben Davies and Richarlison. Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is also suspended.
Despite these absences, Tottenham boasts one of the best attacking units in the league, with players like Son Heung-min (5 goals, 6 assists), James Maddison (7 goals, 4 assists), Dejan Kulusevski (4 goals, 3 assists), Brennan Johnson (6 goals), and Dominic Solanke (5 goals, 2 assists) all contributing significantly to their offensive strength.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest has been involved in some high-scoring matches recently, with nine of their last ten home games in the Premier League seeing at least three goals. Tottenham is no stranger to high-scoring encounters either, with nine of their previous ten matches also resulting in over 2.5 goals.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2 – 2 Tottenham
