Nottingham Forest vs Burnley

Nottingham Forest and Burnley are set to lock horns in a low-profile Premier League showdown at the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest headed into September’s international break in high spirits after upsetting the odds at Old Trafford in a morale-boosting 1-0 win over Chelsea. That victory came less than a week since the ‘Tricky Trees’ became the first-ever side to take a 2-0 lead within the opening four minutes of play at Old Trafford, though they finished on the receiving end of a 3-2 scoreline in that enthralling contest against Manchester United. Steve Cooper’s men have alternated between winning (2) and losing (2) in their opening four Premier League games this term. It’s needless to say one of them came at home, with Forest leaving it late to overcome newly-promoted Sheffield United 2-1 on matchday two. However, they unexpectedly succumbed to a narrow 1-0 home loss to none other than Burnley in League Cup action in late August.

That triumph forms part of Burnley’s impressive seven-game unbeaten H2H run against Forest across all competitions (W4, D3), giving Vincent Kompany a reason to believe in his side’s resurgence following a dismal Premier League start. To their credit, the ‘Clarets’ had to play Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Manchester City before the international break. Yet three losses and a -8 goal difference (GF3, GA11) suggest they barely managed to put up a fight. Kompany’s men have been leaking goals at an alarming rate, especially before halftime, conceding precisely two first-half goals in all three Premier League outings this term. But if it’s any consolation, the visitors have let in under 1.5 goals in their last four away meetings with Forest.