MY ACCOUNT
– Nottingham Forest are bottom of the league but have enjoyed a solid upturn in form
– Crystal Palace are up into the top half of the table after a series of impressive performances
– Recommended Bet: Draw
Nottingham Forest come into this clash buoyed by a Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham, and while Steve Cooper’s men remain bottom of the Premier League, it is now just one defeat in five, a run that includes home wins over Spurs and Liverpool.
Crystal Palace head north with their own reasons to be cheerful and will not be entering the City Ground with any sense of trepidation.
Patrick Vieira’s men have forced their way into the top half of the division on the back of a run of four wins in six, and there have been steady signs of improvement ever since the Frenchman arrived at Selhurst Park.
Two teams with reason to believe they can achieve their differing goals should provide for a quality encounter in their final outing before the World Cup break.
Team news
Cooper is without two of his defensive summer signings for a significant spell, with Giulian Biancone and Moussa Niakhate out with ACL and hamstring injuries respectively.
Jack Colback, Harry Toffolo and Omar Richards will all expect to return upon the resumption of Premier League football in December but none of the three will feature this weekend.
Vieira will again be without a trio of players that are yet to play a minute for Palace this season, with key man James McArthur, reserve goalkeeper Jack Butland and Nathan Ferguson all still unavailable.
Defender Chris Richards, who has managed only 47 minutes this term, and striker Odsonne Edouard both remain major doubts.
The stats
While Nottingham Forest have done well in recent matches to collect a win and three draws from their last six league outings, over the same timeframe Palace have accumulated more league points than every Premier League side bar the top three.
Vieira’s men have been solid on the road of late, too, collecting the same number of points in their last four away league games as Forest have taken from their last four at home — they share identical records of one win, two draws and a defeat.
Palace’s sole standout poor performance this term was a 3-0 loss at Everton. Their other three defeats came against Arsenal in a game they deserved a point from, a hugely unlucky 2-1 loss to Chelsea and a 4-2 defeat at Manchester City where the Eagles were eventually outclassed after taking a two-goal lead. Interestingly, the poor display at Everton was one of only two league matches that influential midfielder Cheick Doucoure has missed.
Prediction
Both of these teams are improving at pace, with the City Ground becoming an increasingly tough venue for opposition clubs to visit, while Palace rarely slip up against sides outside the big six.
There is a slight issue in the centre of Vieira’s midfield, with Palace placing a lot of need on the impressive Doucoure. The summer signing has been a major success, but the departures of Cheikhou Kouyate and loanee Conor Gallagher, as well as the continued injury absence of James McArthur leaves the club perhaps overly reliant on the Mali international.
Vieira will surely look for reinforcements in the January transfer window, but while his midfield anchor remains fit and available, Palace should continue to be hard to break down and they will expect a result against most of their opponents.
Forest’s upturn in form means they are no longer a soft touch, but while they should avoid defeat, Cooper’s men may have to settle for a point against a solid Palace side. Back the draw, available at 21/10 with LiveScore Bet.
