Nottingham Forest vs Brentford Predictions

• No Premier League club has recorded more league draws than Brentford (three) this season
• Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last five home games in the Premier League
• Both teams have scored in four of Brentford’s six league games this season
• Taiwo Awoniyi has bagged three goals in the Premier League this term

Bees could be tested in Midlands trip

Just a point separates Nottingham Forest and Brentford after six games in the Premier League and their clash at the City Ground is a tough one to call.

Forest have made a solid enough start to the campaign, picking up wins over Sheffield United and Chelsea, losing away to Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City as expected and drawing with Burnley.

That means they are averaging just over a point per game, while Brentford are in a similar position, having drawn three games against Tottenham, Palace and Bournemouth, beaten Fulham and lost to Newcastle and Everton.

Both sides have been up and down and they could cancel each other out in the Midlands.

Brentford amassed 21 points more than Forest last season but the Bees have had to make do without Ivan Toney in the first half of the season and has not looked as ruthless this campaign.

Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal in the third round of the EFL Cup was the club’s third in a row in all competitions and Thomas Frank could struggle to lift the team’s spirits ahead of this game.

Tricky Trees could be tough to break down

Forest did not have to contend with a midweek cup tie, so could be a bit fresher, and the Tricky Trees were no pushovers on home soil last term.

Indeed, only five of Forest’s 18 league defeats came at home in the Premier League last season and with the crowd behind them, they should be able to nick a point off the visitors, who have racked up three league stalemates already this term.

Forest have generally kept things tight this season with each of their last four fixtures featuring under 2.5 goals, including their 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the league last Saturday.

However, four of Brentford’s last six competitive assignments have seen both teams score, so combining both suggests a bet on a 1-1 correct score could be another way to play it.

Awoniyi can strike at the City Ground

In terms of goalscorers, Taiwo Awoniyi has been the standout player for the Tricky Trees this season.

Only Morgan Gibbs-White (12) has managed more shots than Awoniyi (nine) in the Premier League this season and the Nigerian forward can be a handful in the air.

Awoniyi is Forest’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with three goals to his name and he is worth a bet to score at anytime, having netted the opener in the club’s home win over Sheffield United in August.