Premier League: Fulham Plan to Regain Their Bearings in Forest Visit

Nottingham Forest vs Fulham

Fulham are falling behind in the battle for European places in the Premier League, and Marco Silva’s men aim to regain their bearings when they visit Nottingham Forest at City Ground on Sunday.

The Cottagers are currently 10th in the English top-flight standings with 40 points, level with ninth-placed Bournemouth and 11th-placed Sunderland. They have lost three of their last five Premier League matches. Fulham are also out of the FA Cup following a 1-0 defeat against Southampton in the fifth round.

Well, at least they’re in a better place than their opponents, as Nottingham Forest are among those who are fighting against the drop. Vitor Pereira’s side is 17th in the table with 28 points, level with 18th-seeded West Ham United, and is winless in their last five (D2, L3).

This is a must-win match for both sides for different reasons, and SBOTOP has you covered with today’s preview.

 

Talking Points

Nottingham Forest could make key defensive change

Unlike Fulham, Nottingham Forest had to play a midweek game. They’re coming off a 1-0 loss against Midtjylland in the opening leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie. The Tricky Trees were hit with a double whammy, as they lost a key starter in the process.

Head coach Vitor Pereira went with the centre-half partnership of Morato and Jair Cunha. But it didn’t last long, as Cunha left the pitch in the 10th minute due to a foot injury, and Nikola Milenkovic took his spot. This news comes after the Brazilian made two starts and one off-the-bench appearance in his last three games, and he’s questionable to play against Fulham.

If Cunha doesn’t make it on Sunday, Pereira will continue to roll with Morato and Milenkovic, with Murillo as another viable option. Milenkovic was one of the Tricky Trees’ bright spots against Midtjylland, as the Serbian centre-back won all of his duels, notched six defensive contributions, and completed 40 of his 45 passes.

Elliot Anderson is also a key player for Nottingham Forest. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder has received more pressures than any other player (1,802), and he also played more line-breaking passes than any other midfielder in the league.

 

Fulham miss their talismanic winger

Fulham badly missed the services of Harry Wilson, as they dropped their last two games without the influential forward. Wilson, the Cottagers’ top scorer with nine goals and six assists, sustained an ankle injury in their 2-1 win over Tottenham two weeks ago.

The Cottagers went scoreless in their losses against West Ham United and Southampton, so they may be compelled to rush Wilson back. The good news is that head coach Marco Silva told reporters that Wilson’s injury is minor.

But if Wilson doesn’t make it, Samuel Chukwueze or Josh King could keep their place alongside Raul Jimenez, who averages a goal involvement every 65 minutes against Nottingham Forest.

 

History

Fulham won 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage last December, as Raul Jimenez scored the match-winning penalty right before halftime. At the time, Jimenez had gone 11-for-11 in his spot-kicks in England, which moved him level with Yaya Toure for the best conversion rate in Premier League history.

The Cottagers have won six of their seven Premier League games against the Tricky Trees (L1), which is their highest win rate against any side they’ve faced more than twice. Nottingham Forest are winless in their last six Premier League home games against Fulham (D3, L3), although their last win against them was a 3-1 result in April 2024.

Fulham have four victories and five defeats in thelr last nine Premier League games. They lost 1-0 to West Ham United last time out, but haven’t failed to score in consecutive league games since May 2024.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2026 odds actually predict a tight contest between Nottingham Forest and Fulham, despite their gap in the table. Nottingham Forest have the edge at 2.20, while Fulham aren’t far behind at 3.01, and a draw is at 3.17 in the 1X2 market.

There aren’t many bets that favour the Cottagers, so we’re looking at the game’s potential goal count. Fans at City Ground might not get their fair share of Premier League 2026 highlights this weekend, based on their previous encounter.

With that said, punters may also add Under 2.75 at 1.73, Under 2.25 at 2.25, and even Total Goal 0-1 at 3.16 to the parlay. However, a Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of Fulham – the result of their previous fixture – could yield a tidy payout of 9.80.

   

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