Nottingham Forest vs Brentford Predictions

• Six of Forest’s seven pre-season games have featured fewer than three goals
• Seven of Forest’s first eight games last season featured fewer than three goals
• Three of the last four meetings of these clubs have featured fewer than three goals

Forest are floundering up front

Nottingham Forest and Brentford are unlikely to serve up a feast of goals when they get their campaigns underway at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.

Forest flirted with Champions League qualification last season on the back of a solid defensive shape and some clinical counter-attacks. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men faded to finish seventh after winning only one of their final five Premier League matches, but they will believe they can make another push for Europe this season.

The tricky element for the Tricky Trees will be avoiding any post-midweek pitfalls as they compete in the Europa League, although that is not a concern for this clash. Scoring goals is the big problem Nuno needs to fix after his side managed to register just once in seven pre-season friendlies.

Visitors were victorious in last season’s battles 

Forest lost two of those and drew the other five 0-0 with Chris Wood, who hit 20 league goals last term, managing their solitary strike in a 3-1 loss to Fulham. Wood has lost a key supply line in Anthony Elanga, but Dan Ndoye has been added to the creative hub alongside Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Forest fans will recall their side were slow to click into gear last season too, drawing four of their first seven league games and scoring no more than once in eight of their opening nine. Both of their battles against Brentford followed a familiar pattern too with the away side winning 2-0 on each occasion.

The Bees were a much more expansive side at the Gtech Community Stadium last term than on the road. They scored 40 and conceded 35 at home while registering only 26 and shipping 22 on their travels.

Bees’ backline can grind out a point

Brentford went for the continuity appointment when Thomas Frank left for pastures new in June, promoting Keith Andrews from set-piece coach to head of the whole operation. And set pieces will be Brentford’s bread and butter again this year judging by their performance in last weekend’s 2-2 friendly draw against Wolfsburg.

They will have to overcome the loss of potentially both of their leading scorers from last season, Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa, plus the leadership of Christian Norgaard. But they have enough about them in defence and midfield to scrap out a draw, particularly if new keeper Caoimhim Kelleher performs as well as he did as Liverpool’s understudy.

Back Under 2.5 goals as the main bet, but a 1-1 draw could also have legs as a correct score option.