Brentford and Nottingham Forest will lock horns with each other in the Premier League gameweek nine fixture on Saturday, October 31. The London side will aim to add more misery to the Forest, who are struggling in the relegation zone with just one league win so far this season.
Despite winning just two of their opening eight league games, the Bees find themselves sixth in the points table. Brentford eye a return to the winning ways after losing their third-round Carabao Cup fixture against Sunderland this week.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest are placed 18th in the league standings after a winless run in October. They will target three big points on Saturday to change the momentum before their trip to Manchester City.
Last 5 games
Brentford kicked off their season with a stunning 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur and followed it with an eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions. They also stunned Chelsea 3-0 at home, but saw their impressive run end with a heartbreaking defeat against Liverpool. In their last five games, they have won just one game, drawing against Aston Villa and Hull in away league games, before suffering a 2-3 loss against Sunderland in the EFL Cup third round.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest enter this game after sealing a point against Ipswich Town last week. Oliver Glasner’s side showed a promising start, earning a point each against Liverpool and Spurs, and a win against Aston Villa away, but could not hold on to it. They have won just one of their last five games, suffering three successive defeats against Coventry, Crystal Palace and Arsenal.
Brentford: 6th
Loss: 3-2 vs Sunderland
Draw: 1-1 vs Hull City
Loss: 1-2 vs Liverpool
Draw: 2-2 vs Aston Villa
Win: 3-0 vs Chelsea
Nottingham Forest: 18th
Draw: 1-1 vs Ipswich Town
Loss: 1-0 vs Arsenal
Loss: 3-1 vs Crystal Palace
Loss: 0-1 vs Coventry City
Win: 1-2 vs Aston Villa
Team News
Brentford will have Vitaly Janelt available for selection after the midfielder served the one-match suspension in the last match against Hull. Fellow midfield partner Yegor Yarmoliuk, who received a three-match suspension following a red card against Liverpool, will remain absent against Nottingham Forest.
Kristoffer Ajer, Sepp van den Berg and in-form Keveane Lewis-Potter are all expected to return to the starting eleven after being rested against Sunderland in the EFL fixture.
Meanwhile, Oliver Glasner is unlikely to tinker with their starting eleven that ended their losing run in a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town last week. There are doubts over wing-back Neco William’s participation as the player suffered a minor arm injury minutes after scoring against Ipswich, but the player took part in the recent training and is expected to start the game on Saturday.
Possible Lineups
Brentford:
Caoimhin Kelleher; Michael Kayode, Kristoffer Ajer, Sepp van den Berg, Keane Lewis-Potter; Vitaly Janelt, Mamadou Sangare; Dango Ouattara, Mathias Jensen, Kevin Schade; Igor Thiago
Nottingham Forest:
Matz Sels; Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo; Daniel Munoz, James McAtee, Xaver Schlager, Luca Netz; Dan Ndoye, Morgan Gibbs-White; Liam Delap
Head-to-Head
Brentford comfortably lead the head-to-head record against Nottingham Forest with 16 wins in 33 encounters. The Tricky Trees have emerged winners on 10 occasions while seven meetings have ended in draws.
However, Nottingham Forest recorded dominant wins in their home and away fixtures against Brentford last season. Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi were on the scoresheet for the Forest when they won their last meeting against the Bees in January.
Brentford’s last win against the Forest came in May 2025, when Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade scored a goal each to help the London side register a 0-2 win at the City Ground.
Where Will The Game Be Decided?
Igor Thiago’s role will be crucial for the home side as the Brazilian striker has shown an improvement in his form with a goal and two assists in Brentford’s last four league games. He was on target when Brentford traveled to the Forest last season. Kevin Schade has made an impact from the left wing this season, leading the charts with three league goals.
Brentford have netted 14 goals this season, with only three teams managing to beat that mark so far. On the other hand, Nottingham Forest have struggled in front of goal with the joint-lowest six strikes. This notable difference in goals scored could be a deciding factor in the outcome of the upcoming match on Saturday.
Prediction
Brentford’s strong start to their season has come to an end in October with two defeats and two draws. The Bees’ 3-2 loss against Sunderland this week further exploited the team’s decline in form. However, considering the return of in-form Vitaly Janelt and their opposition’s standing in the league, Brentford are expected to return to winning ways on Saturday.
Nottingham Forest have won their last two trips to the Gtech Community Stadium, keeping clean sheets on both occasions. It will give some encouragement to Glasner, who is under pressure to keep his job at the Forest. The Forest showed a notable improvement in their last game against Ipswich, ending their three-match losing run with a crucial point, but it will take a lot more to overcome the sixth-place side.
Our prediction: Brentford 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Odds
Brentford win: 11/10
Draw: 14/5
Nottingham Forest win: 13/5
The odds are firmly in favour of Brentford to win this Premier League match on Saturday. They are leading the winning probability with a 61% chance of walking away with three points. If you bet £10 on the Bees’ win, and they manage to thump the Forest, then you could get £16.39 in return. With the Forest’s winning probability remaining around 21%, one could get £41.67 in return for a £10 bet. Meanwhile, the last five matches between these two teams have produced two or more goals, so a 3.0 goals bet (57/17) can get a strong return.
