Nottingham Forest vs Brentford Predictions

• Forest have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League home games (W7, D2).
• Brentford have just two wins in their last seven overall.
• Forest won the reverse fixture 2-0.

Third spot the target for Forest

Nottingham Forest saw their silverware hopes dashed at the weekend as their FA Cup bid came to an end, but they still have a chance to finish in the top five and victory over Brentford on Thursday would see them jump up to third place.

The Bees are destined for a mid-table finish and have little left to play for, whereas Forest have a chance to make a bit of history and secure a place in the Champions League.

Brentford are in reasonable form but only one of these teams realistically have something to play for and that extra motivation gives Forest the edge ahead of Thursday’s Premier League fixture.

Forest can make home advantage count

Forest went down 1-0 to Everton in their last home games but that ended a nine-game unbeaten run in the Premier League at the City Ground.

Nuno’s side won seven of those nine games, and they can make the most of their home advantage in this midweek fixture.

The Bees are in reasonable form but with just one defeat in their last five, but they’ve only won two of those games and they have just one point to show from their last two trips.

Brentford have been excellent on their travels since the turn of the year but they have fallen short in trips to the league’s strongest sides. The west Londoners have just one point to show from their five trips to Forest’s top six rivals, so the odds-against price on a home win looks a strong play for our main bet.

Forest may concede in victory

A 2-1 win for the home side is the correct score prediction as Brentford rarely draw a blank on their travels. The visitors have only failed to score in three of their 17 Premier League trips and Forest have gone four games without a clean sheet, while three of their last four league wins have come by one-goal margins.

Chris Wood scored in the win over Tottenham in the previous round of league fixtures as he grabbed his first goal since a brief spell on the sidelines with a hip issue. The New Zealand international has 19 goals in 31 league games this season and looks the best candidate for an anytime effort for the hosts.