Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth Premier League prediction and stats: Can the Cherries build on strong PL campaign?
Bournemouth will look to build on their strong 2023/24 showing when they travel to Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the new Premier League season.
Nuno Espírito Santo will be looking to extend his unbeaten run on the opening day to 12 games. How will Bournemouth start without last season’s top goalscorer Dominic Solanke?
Three predictions for Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest 2-3 Bournemouth (19/1 with Betano)
Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Forest, last losing in this fixture back in February 2015. The Cherries have particularly enjoyed away trips to the City Ground, winning their last three visits — including the previous two by a 3-2 scoreline.
Chris Wood First Goalscorer (5/1 with Betano)
Chris Wood has scored 11 goals in 16 Premier League games for Nottingham Forest under Nuno Espírito Santo, having scored just four times in 22 appearances under Steve Cooper. The forward has also been involved in six Premier League goals against Bournemouth (4 goals, 2 assists), only having a hand in more against West Ham (8) and Wolves (7).
Over 3.5 Goals (8/5 with Betano)
Meetings between these two sides are usually full of goals, especially at the City Ground where there has been 13 goals in the last three meetings. The Cherries have only failed to score in three of their last 30 Premier League games, with each of those coming against last season’s top three.
Betano sign-up: Get £30 in bonuses when you bet £10
Betano are offering new customers the chance to get £30 in free bets to use on football.
To claim this offer, follow these steps:
- Create your account by clicking this link or the image below.
- Opt in to this promotion via the Offers tab or sign up page.
- Deposit and bet £10 or more at odds of evens (2.0) or higher within the first three days of registration.
- Get 5x £5 free bets and a £5 slot bonus on bet settlement.
18+ New Customers Only. Opt in and bet £10 on any EPL match (odds 1/1+) within 3 days of sign up. No cash-out. Get 5x£5 Free Bets for set markets (odds 1/1+) and a £5 Slots Bonus on Age of the Gods: God of Storms, 30x wagering, max redeemable £125. Bonuses expire in 14 days. No cash-out. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly.
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth live
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth is scheduled for 3pm (UK time) on Saturday 17th August but will not be broadcast live in the UK.
How both teams go into Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth
It wasn’t pretty but Nottingham Forest secured Premier League safety last season, finishing 17th with 32 points, though that was enough to keep them six points clear of 18th-place Luton despite suffering a four-point deduction. Forest struggled to find consistency, winning back-to-back games on just one occasion, and Nuno Espirito Santo must now find a way to get more out of this squad with a much stronger group coming up from the Championship this time around — at least on paper.
Forest have earned just 16 points so far in 2024 (W4 D4 L10), the fewest of any current Premier League side. However, they’ve won two of their last three league games (L1), as many as they had in their first 15 this calendar year (D4 L9) and will be hoping that continues into the new season.
As for Bournemouth, they went winless across their first nine matches but, under Spanish coach Andoni Iraola, turned things around brilliantly to rise to 12th in the table — just a point off the top half. The only time the Cherries have finished higher in the top flight was in 2016/17 when they finished ninth, but that was followed by a sequence of 12th, 14th and 18th-place finishes, ultimately returning to the Championship. Both Iraola and Bournemouth supporters will be hoping their team can build on this positive step, rather than succumbing to complacency, but they will have to do it without last season’s top goalscorer Dominic Solanke, who has left to join Spurs.
Nottingham Forest host Bournemouth at 3pm (UK time) on Saturday 17th August at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest team news
Forest have been typically busy in the market already this summer, bringing in the likes of Elliot Anderson, Marko Stamenic (loaned out to Olympiacos) and Carlos Miguel, while Moussa Niakhate and Orel Mangala have been big money departures — leaving alongside the likes of Odysseas Vlachodimos and Remo Freuler.
Nuno has a fully fit squad to choose from for the visit of the Cherries.
Bournemouth team news
Luis Sinisterra and Enes Unal are the two major incomings this summer so far for Bournemouth, who have parted ways with the likes of Lloyd Kelly, Jamal Lowe and Emiliano Marcondes. They will be in the market for a striker however, after Dominic Solanke left the Cherries to join Tottenham for a club-record fee.
Tyler Adams, Enes Unal and David Brooks have all been ruled out of the opener, with centre-back Marcos Senesi a doubt alongside Neto.
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth head-to-head
Bournemouth have won on their last three visits to the City Ground and are unbeaten against Nottingham Forest since February 2015.
| Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth H2H | |||||||
| Date | Score | Ground | |||||
| 04/02/24 | Bournemouth 1-1 Nottingham Forest | Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth | |||||
| 23/12/23 | Nottingham Forest 2-3 Bournemouth | City Ground, Nottingham | |||||
| 21/01/23 | Bournemouth 1-1 Nottingham Forest | Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth | |||||
| 03/09/22 | Nottingham Forest 2-3 Bournemouth | City Ground, Nottingham | |||||
| 03/05/22 | Bournemouth 1-0 Nottingham Forest | Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth | |||||
| 14/08/21 | Nottingham Forest 1-2 Bournemouth | City Ground, Nottingham | |||||
