Nottingham take on the visitors Southampton in the round 35 match of English Premier League. The match will be played on Monday, April 8th at City Ground (Nottingham).
Nottingham Forest have been away from the Premier League for too long – they were last here in the late 1990s. In order to avoid ending their current stint in the British football elite after just one year, the club went for record-breaking signings in terms of quantity (and significant ones in financial terms). It took Steve Cooper and his staff some time, but they managed to build a competitive team from this group of newcomers. They reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and collected points quite well in the middle of winter in the Premier League. However, after a 1-0 victory over Leeds on February 5th, everything went downhill. They had a few draws (including taking points from Manchester City), but most of the matches ended in losses. They managed to beat Brighton in April, but last Saturday, despite taking the lead and holding on until the 82nd minute, the Premier League debutants eventually lost to Brentford away. Dasilva scored the deciding goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Southampton received a new investor in the winter of last year. Dragan Solak seemed to start off on the right foot by bringing in Rasmus Ankersen, a well-known scout from Brentford. Ankersen also attracted a number of promising players to the project during the summer, and there were expectations of a serious fight for European competitions from the popular team with the status of a solid mid-table club. However, under long-time manager Ralph Hasenhuttl and his replacement Nathan Jones, they only seemed to perform well in cup competitions. Ruben Selees, the current coach, was initially seen as an interim solution. But under him, they initially had decent results – victories against Chelsea and Leicester, a goalless draw with Manchester United, and an entertaining 3-3 draw with Tottenham. However, April seems to have dealt the final blow to their survival hopes. Yes, they almost won against the then-leader of the league table, Arsenal. But firstly, despite leading by two goals until the 88th minute, Southampton ended up with just a draw. Secondly, those 3-3 draws were the only points they collected in six matches. They lost all the other matches, including at home against Bournemouth. As a result, with 24 points, Southampton not only sits at the bottom of the table but is also six points behind Nottingham Forest. Can they still believe in the possibility of a miraculous escape at St. Mary's?
The clubs have not played against each other for over 10 years, since the 2011/2012 season in the Championship. Nottingham Forest won away in January thanks to Avoniyi's lone goal. The Forest have been given a chance to improve their survival chances, and they need to take advantage of it. Let's believe that Steve Cooper's team will make use of this opportunity and secure a victory at home.
Prediction for the match: Nottingham to win.
