Nottingham Forest will look to keep their push for UEFA Champions League qualification alive as they face an Everton team still hunting for their first win in six games.
Nolan James Apr 10
Nottingham Forest have been one of the surprise packages of the season. Widely tipped to be in a relegation battle, they've flipped the script and now find themselves in third place, firmly in the hunt for an unlikely UEFA Champions League berth.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side have racked up 51 goals in 30 league outings, conceding 37, and currently sit six points above the teams chasing that coveted fifth spot—which may be enough for Champions League football this season. On top of that, the Reds are eyeing their first top-tier silverware since 1990, having reached the FA Cup semi-finals where they'll face Manchester City.
Since David Moyes' return to the Goodison Park dugout, Everton have climbed away from danger and now look safe from the drop. Sitting 14th with 35 points from 31 matches, the Toffees are 15 points clear of the relegation zone and could even leapfrog into 13th depending on Manchester United’s results in hand.
The reverse fixture back in December ended in a 2-0 win for Forest at Goodison Park. Goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood, both of whom have starred this season, made the difference in what was then a Sean Dyche-managed Everton side.
Forest head into this fixture on the back of just one loss in their last six across all competitions—a 2-1 setback against Aston Villa. That aside, they’ve been impressive, claiming wins over Manchester United and Manchester City, plus knocking out Brighton in the FA Cup via penalties.
At home, Forest have turned the City Ground into a fortress. They haven’t lost a league match there since November and have kept three consecutive clean sheets on their own turf. The potential return of top scorer Chris Wood could further strengthen their attack heading into this match.
While Everton haven’t been outright awful, they’ve struggled to find that killer edge. They are without a win in their last six matches, five of which ended in draws—including four straight 1-1 results against Arsenal, West Ham, Brentford, and even themselves in one write-up error. The other was a 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
Away from home, the Toffees are winless in their last three, with two draws and a narrow Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool. Goals have been hard to come by, and defensively, they’ve conceded first in four of their last five league outings.
Nottingham Forest are clear favourites for this one. They’ve been rock-solid at home, unbeaten since November and boasting three straight clean sheets. Everton, meanwhile, are stuck in a pattern of stalemates and have lacked punch in front of goal.
Despite Forest’s strong form, don’t expect a goal-fest. Five of their last seven matches have seen under 2.5 goals, and the same applies to Everton’s last five. A tight, low-scoring affair is likely—but Forest should have enough to get the job done.
