🔊 How will the promising mid-table Premier League sides with European ambitions, Nottingham Forest and Brentford, kick off their season? Both clubs have undergone significant squad changes, but the major shift comes from the Bees with Keith Andrews taking on his first role as head coach. Can the visitors embrace the ideas of their new coach and turn him into the next Thomas Frank? We offer an insightful assessment of the outcome and related events at the City Ground in Nottingham in our preview.

Head-to-Head

📊 Since 2022, these teams have been clashing in the top tier of English football. Over this period, they've faced off 6 times: 2 draws, 4 victories for Brentford, and Nottingham Forest celebrated success just once. In the 2024/25 season, the clubs exchanged away wins with identical scores of 2-0.

Nottingham Forest Team Overview

🔴 Nottingham Forest have had a remarkable season, spending most of the campaign in the top three. Although their form dipped towards the end of the Premier League, it didn't stop the Tricky Trees from qualifying for the Europa League by finishing seventh. They also made a strong run in the FA Cup, reaching the semi-finals before falling to Manchester City (0-2). However, their pre-season under Nuno Espírito Santo has been far from ideal, with no wins in seven friendlies and five draws. The aggregate score across these matches was 1-4, giving Forest an average of just 0.14 goals per game.

📝 Nottingham's lackluster scoring can be largely attributed to the departure of their top assistant in the Premier League (11 assists), Anthony Elanga, who moved to Newcastle for €61.4 million. Dan Ndoye, costing €42 million and Bologna’s top scorer in the last Serie A season with eight goals, will try to fill some of Elanga's shoes and reinvigorate the team's attack. Nottingham are not planning to halt their transfer activities and aim to secure Kostas Tsimikas from Liverpool and Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich before the window closes.

Brentford Team Overview

🐝 Brentford nearly matched their best-ever Premier League season record of 59 points and a 9th place finish in 2022/23, ending this season in 10th with 56 points. They also had a commendable run in the EFL Cup, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions Newcastle (1-3). Thomas Frank was called up to Tottenham, and his successor is Brentford's former set-piece coach, Keith Andrews, who played a significant role in Frank's successes. Under Andrews' guidance, the Bees played three pre-season friendlies: drawing with Gil Vicente (1-1) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (2-2), and securing a victory against Queens Park Rangers (1-0).

📝 Following an outstanding season, Brentford had to part ways with the Premier League's fourth top scorer, Bryan Mbeumo, who moved to Manchester United for €75 million. Additionally, their first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken transferred to Bayer Leverkusen. To fill the gap, they brought in the younger Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool. Another former Liverpool player, Jordan Henderson, joined the Bees on a free transfer from Ajax.

Latest news

Nottingham Forest

❗ Until the very last moment, it was unclear in which European competition Nottingham Forest would compete. Finishing 7th in the Premier League secured them a spot in the Conference League. However, Crystal Palace, the FA Cup winners, were barred from the Europa League due to shared ownership with Lyon. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where the London club filed an appeal, delivered its final verdict on August 11th, which resulted in Forest being promoted to the Europa League.

❌ After the season concluded, Nicolás Domínguez underwent knee surgery. He is currently working individually in the gym and is expected to recover during the first half of the championship. However, fans shouldn't expect to see the midfielder at the start of the Premier League.

Brentford

💰 Brentford might be on the verge of losing another key scorer—Yoane Wissa, who has followed in Mbeumo's footsteps to become the team's second top scorer with 19 Premier League goals. Rumors link the Congolese forward with Tottenham and Newcastle, though they may struggle to compete with Saudi clubs. From the Middle East, Neom is eyeing the striker, but Al-Nassr are the most eager to have him in their ranks.

❌ A significant blow for the Bees at the end of last season was the loss of midfielder Vitaly Janelt due to a heel injury—he's definitely out for the Premier League's opening round. The same goes for Yoane Wissa, at least until his future with the club is resolved. Minor injuries were picked up during preseason by Caoimhín Kelleher and Kevin Schade. However, they are back in full training and will be included in the squad, making their appearance on the pitch quite possible.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The match will be officiated by English referee Peter Bankes. His career average for yellow cards in the Premier League stands at 4.1, with a recent average of 3.6 over the last 10 matches. In terms of total cards during the same period in the EPL, Nottingham holds the edge with 5.6 compared to 4.7.

Both teams, former Championship sides, have brought their gritty style of play to the top tier. In their last six head-to-head encounters in the EPL, they averaged 5 yellow cards per game. We anticipate the intensity will remain high at the start of the season, so we're opting for a total of over 4 yellow cards.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

In terms of scoring over the last 10 matches, Brentford take a commanding lead with an average of 3.1 goals compared to their opponents' 2.2. In the previous Premier League season, despite a 9-point gap in the standings, the Bees netted 8 more goals. Moreover, a total of over 2.5 goals has not been hit in 8 of Nottingham's last 9 matches across all competitions. A goal fest is unlikely, especially considering the match will be held at the City Ground. Our pick is a total of under 3 goals.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Let's focus on corner stats over the last 10 EPL games. Brentford have a slight edge here with an average of 10.3 corners compared to Nottingham Forest's 10. However, don't be misled by these high numbers—across their six head-to-head meetings, the teams averaged just 8 corners combined. Additionally, a total under 11.5 corners has hit in 13 of Brentford's last 14 league matches and in 7 of Nottingham Forest's last 8. We expect this trend to continue. Our editorial choice is a total of under 11.5 corners.

Bookmakers are favoring Nottingham with significant odds, showing little faith in the visitors. We believe this bias towards the hosts, who haven't secured a single win in preseason, is unwarranted. We hope to witness the rise of Brentford's talented manager, who can uphold and even elevate Thomas Frank's legacy. This implies that Brentford's unbeaten streak at the City Ground should continue – the hosts haven't won here in their last five matches. As mentioned before, don't expect a high-scoring affair – we foresee a goalless draw (0-0), similar to most of Nottingham Forest's friendly matches. The higher odds for the visitors make a compelling case to back them, betting that Brentford will avoid defeat.