Bournemouth vs Nottingham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-01-20 15:00.
Midfielder Ryan Christie insists Bournemouth are “on the right track,” despite slumping to six successive defeats in all competitions since the World Cup. The most recent of those was a 2-0 loss at Brentford, although manager Gary O’Neil believes a “scandalous” decision to award Ivan Toney a first-half penalty, which he duly dispatched, changed the game.
That result piled pressure on the boss, who has won just four of his 18 games in charge (D4, L10). He’ll be desperate for his side to be more ruthless as they have now clocked up over six hours of Premier League (PL) football since their last goal, which came during a 3-0 win over Everton in November, in a desperate drought that leaves them dangling just one point above the relegation zone ahead of this round.
Supporters making the trip to the Vitality Stadium this weekend should therefore be warned against expecting a thriller, especially as visitors Nottingham Forest are the division’s lowest away scorers with just two goals in nine matches (W1, D2, L6)! One of those came in their last game on the road, a 1-0 victory at Southampton, which, coupled with a 2-0 win over Leicester, means Steve Cooper’s side have picked up back-to-back PL wins for the first time since 1999!
Those successes have helped ease Forest’s relegation fears, as there is now breathing space between themselves and the bottom three. Cooper also had yet more joy in the transfer market this week, bringing in his 24th player of the season by signing Danilo from Palmeiras, who states it’s his “dream” to play in the PL and is in line to make his debut on the South Coast.
Key battle: Bournemouth’s Philip Billing has scored his joint-most number of goals against Forest, three in six matches (W4, D1, L1). Trying to thwart him may be Scott McKenna, although the defender has lost each of his four H2H clashes with the Cherries, conceding at least two goals on three occasions.
Hot stat: Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have each played 19 PL games this season but only a league-low six of those have seen both teams score.