Nottingham take on the visitors Sheffield United in the round 2 match of English Premier League. The match will be played on Friday, August 18th at City Ground (Nottingham).
Nottingham Forest starts its 2nd consecutive year in the Premier League. The Tricky Trees are known as a club that managed to win the European Cup twice in a row. However, after the era of Brian Clough, they struggled and spent most of the early 21st century in the Championship. The current manager, Steve Cooper, doesn't have the same cult status as Clough. However, under his guidance, Nottingham Forest managed to promote to the Premier League (albeit through the playoffs) and earn enough points to secure their stay there. Owner Evangelos Marinakis has been spending generously on newcomers, setting new records for the number of signed players. While their activity hasn't been as high recently (especially as some players have been involved in disputes over unpaid survival bonuses in the Premier League), they have focused on bringing in young talents - they signed Elanga and Turner for considerable amounts, combining them with experienced players like Ayew and Wood. Nevertheless, they predictably lost to Arsenal. They managed to make Arsenal sweat towards the end but still lost 1-2.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Sheffield United returns to the Premier League. The Blades have won the FA Cup four times and finished second in the English league twice. However, these successes were a long time ago. Moreover, in the past decade, they even dropped to League One, the third tier of English football. Only under Chris Wilder, their former player, did the project pick up pace and make a swift return to the Premier League. They had a strong season there but then experienced setbacks and Wilder was fired. Their current coach, Hekkingbottom, brought new progress to the team. He was appointed during the penultimate season and managed to push the team into the top six but lost in the playoffs. In the next full cycle, they secured the 2nd place, just behind the powerful Burnley. However, they couldn't retain key players like Ndiaye, Berge, Mousset, and Doyle during the summer transfer window. Let's see how the newly signed players, including Traore, Sliman, Larussi, Trasty, and Vinicius Souza, perform. So far, it all began with a minimal defeat against Crystal Palace.
It was Sheffield United that prevailed over Nottingham Forest in 2022, during the playoff battle for promotion to the Premier League. The clubs exchanged away victories with 2-1 scores, but Nottingham Forest won in the penalty shootout at home. The visitors have just returned to the Premier League and are unlikely to secure points easily. Betting on a victory for The Tricky Trees on their home turf seems reasonable.
Prediction for the match: Nottingham to win.
