Wolves vs Nottingham Forest Preview: Team News & Prediction
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It is the Nuno Espirito Santo derby at Molineux on Monday with relegation battling but improved Wolverhampton Wanderers welcoming high flying overachievers Nottingham Forest this week.
Kick-off date/time: Sunday 5th January, 2025: UK – 8:00pm / US ET – 3:00pm / US PT – 12:00pm
How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports / US – USA Network
How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / US – Telemundo
Wolves Preview: Wolves are moving
Last month, after a 2-1 defeat at home to Ipswich Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers eventually took the decision to sack manager Gary O’Neil and replaced him with Al Shabab coach Vitor Pereira, who has enjoyed an excellent start to his stint at Molineux.
His first game in charge saw Wolves travel to the King Power Stadium and hammer Leicester City by three goals to nil before a 2-0 victory over Manchester United back at home on Boxing Day. They then shared a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur away from home last weekend.
Nottingham Forest Preview: Forest are dreaming
Nuno Espirito Santo took charge of Nottingham Forest last season when they were very much involved in the relegation battle but fast forward a year or so and they are heading into 2025 in a position where European qualification at the very least seems highly likely.
They begin this weekend’s round of fixtures on the coattails on the Premier League title race after a 2-0 win away at Everton last weekend made it five successive victories for Forest as they search for a return to the top table of European football.
Wolves Team News: Cunha suspension
Matheus Cunha has finally received his punishment and suspension for his escapades at the end of that aforementioned loss to Ipswich and he will be missing for the next two matches, whilst Mario Lemina has picked up a ‘small injury’, too.
Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Dawson; Semedo, Doyle, J. Gomes, Ait-Nouri; Bellegarde, Hwang; Strand Larsen
Unavailable: Mosquera (Injured), Toti (Injured), Lemina (Injured), Traore (Injured), Sarabia (Injured), Gonzalez (Injured), Cunha (Suspended), Kalajdzic (Injured)
Questionable: Andre (Injured)
Nottingham Forest Team News: Murillo and CHO should be involved
In his pre-match press conference, Nuno Espirito Santo has suggested that key men Murillo and Callum Hudson-Odoi may well be ok for this weekend after slight knocks. Club captain Ryan Yates has also returned from suspension for this one.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1 ): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Unavailable: Danilo (Injured), Sangare (Injured)
Questionable: Murillo (Fitness), Hudson-Odoi (Injured)
Wolves vs Nottingham Forest Prediction
Wolves had comfortably the worst defensive record in the Premier League, albeit that is now level with Leicester ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures. Pereira is known for his defensive and reactive style of football and that was the job he was brought in to do so in order to push them away from the bottom three. They face a Nottingham Forest side that have been excellent on the counter-attack throughout the campaign and are themselves the closest to perfection a reactive mid-table side could be. With Wolves without Cunha and Forest likely to try and counter, it may not necessarily be a thriller for the neutral.
Wolves vs Nottingham Forest Tip: Under 2.5 goals
