Brentford vs Nottingham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2024-01-19 17:30.
[p]While the result of this game between Brentford and Nottingham Forest could have huge implications on the relegation battle, the return of Ivan Toney after an eight-month ban for breaching the FA’s gambling rules is arguably the bigger story of the day. Brentford’s top-scorer across the last three seasons, Toney’s return is perhaps timely for a side who have lost seven of their last eight Premier League games (W1).[/p]
[p]The misery just keeps on coming for the Bees, who were dumped out of the FA Cup in midweek by Wolves in a third round replay. There’s no guarantee things will get better here despite Brentford boasting a five-match unbeaten H2H run against Forest (W2, D3) and that rings especially true even if they take the lead, as their 20 points dropped from winning positions this season is a league-high. [/p]
[p]That may be something Forest believe they can exploit if they go behind, but they’ve enough reason to be confident without relying on the misfortunes of their opponents after successive Premier League wins against European chasing Newcastle and Manchester United. They built further momentum with a gruelling extra-time midweek win in FA Cup replay action, but after being charged by the Premier League for breaching financial fair play rules, they make the trip to the capital under a cloud of uncertainty with a potential points deduction looming large. [/p]
[p]They also travel to London sporting the psychological scars of their last visit, when they were beaten 5-0 by Fulham, with none of their last three league trips to the capital yielding success (D1, L2). There is an extra incentive for new boss Nuno EspĂrito Santo to mastermind an end to that run, as victory here would see him become only the fourth Nottingham Forest manager in history to win his first two top-flight away games in charge. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: The returning Toney has scored in all three of his personal H2Hs against Forest, as well as in his last three Premier League home appearances back in April 2023. His striking counterpart Chris Wood netted a hat-trick in Forest’s last away league outing and was also the match winner in midweek, with eight of his last nine club goals arriving after half-time.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Brentford’s home league games this term have averaged 1.8 first-half goals per game.[/p]