Key Facts
- Forest go into a fragile basement battle in 17th place with 25 points; a win could put some distance between them and West Ham, while Leeds are only one point ahead.
- The 4-0 Europa League win over Ferencváros provided momentum, carried by Igor Jesus’ finishing prowess; the 0-0 draw with Arsenal and 2-0 win at Brentford in the league also reflect Dyches’ defensive work.
- Palace are 15th with 28 points and are on an 11-game winless streak; their output is meager, with only four goals in their last eight Premier League games and often conceding after the break.
- The personnel situation exacerbates the balance of power: Forest are without Wood and keeper Victor (knee surgery), while Palace are without Mateta (transfer rumors), Wharton (suspension) and Nketiah and Kamada (injuries).
- A direct comparison suggests patience rather than spectacle: four draws in five games and five consecutive games with under 2.5 goals; with Forest as the home favorite (odds 2.0), “Forest win & both teams to score: No” seems the obvious choice.
Relegation pressure, personnel worries and a betting market that nevertheless clearly favors Nottingham Forest – that’s the mix that makes this Premier League game at City Ground so exciting. Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace are in 15th place with 28 points, level on points with Tottenham and two points ahead of Leeds. Forest will still have to do without Wood and goalkeeper Victor, but they are still considered the favorites. Their league record is mixed, but Thursday’s 4-0 win over Ferencvaros, led by Jesus and McAtee, has given them a noticeable boost. Palace, on the other hand, have fallen from fourth place in the table to a run of 11 games without a win in all competitions. They also travel without Mateta due to transfer rumors, Wharton is suspended, and Nketiah and Kamada are also out.
- Venue: City Ground, Nottingham
- Date and time: February 1, 2026, 3:00 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 24)
The real starting point, however, is how weakened Crystal Palace appear: Mateta stayed at home due to transfer rumors, Nketiah and Kamada are injured, and Wharton is suspended. Accordingly, the combination of “Nottingham Forest wins” and “Both teams to score: No” appears attractive. If the hosts take control early and open up the game, over 2.5 goals could also come into focus.
Nottingham form & record check
Forest come into the game on the back of a 4-0 win over Ferencvaros in the Europa League at City Ground, finishing 13th in the league and securing a playoff with Fenerbahce. This reaction was welcome after a lackluster 1-0 defeat in Braga. In the league, this was followed by a 0-0 draw against Arsenal and then a 2-0 win at Brentford, while the FA Cup ended in a penalty shootout in Wrexham, first 3-3, then 4-3. This league upturn is all the more important because Forest are still close to the line in 17th place with 25 points, Leeds are one point ahead, West Ham are five points behind, but the situation remains fragile. Dyche has recently been working visibly on the defensive organization, with the 0-0 draw against Arsenal and the 2-0 win at Brentford based on compact lines and clever game management, with Sels rarely being tested. When Forest are in harmony, their pressing is sharp and their transitions are direct, as the Ferencvaros game showed, supported by Yates’ work rate and Igor Jesus’ finishing ability. However, there are still areas of concern: Victor’s season-ending knee problem leaves little room for maneuver behind Sels, hence the talks about Sá, and Wood is still missing, which leaves Forest relying on Igor Jesus, Lucca, or Awoniyi up front. In midfield, the push for Frattesi suggests that Dyche wants more control alongside Anderson, Domínguez, and Yates, and Brighton’s rejection of the Ayari offer shows how difficult this transfer window is to navigate.
Forest are expected to stick with Sean Dyche’s usual 4-2-3-1, with Sels likely to start behind a back four of Williams, Milenković, Morato, and Aina. The double pivot of Sangaré and Yates would provide cover and free up Gibbs-White to operate between the lines. Ndoye and Hudson-Odoi look like the likely wing options to serve Jesus as the central striker. With Victor out after knee surgery, Dyche’s goalkeeping cover on matchday is likely to be limited to Gunn once again. Wood remains sidelined up front, so Jesus is the obvious first choice, although Lucca or Awoniyi could be used if Forest prefer a more direct target man. Should fresh legs be needed in central defense, Murillo is the obvious alternative.
Crystal Palace Form & Record Check
Crystal Palace travels to City Ground in a worrying Premier League slump, sitting 15th in the table with 28 points, level with Tottenham and just two points ahead of Leeds. They are without a win in 11 games in all competitions, and their league form in particular has been poor. The mood seems fragile, partly because performances are not translating into goals, and partly because the noise off the pitch has started to spill over onto the field. Recent results underscore this: a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle, then a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa that showed defensive organization but little punch. The FA Cup exit at Macclesfield, 2-1, hit confidence, followed by a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland, where Palace fell apart after the break. Chelsea then won 3-1 at Selhurst, with Wharton sent off as control was lost. The pattern is clear: tight first halves and problems towards the end. Palace have not won any of their last five games, conceding in four of them, often after halftime. Glasner has now left Mateta at home, explaining that his head is not clear amid transfer rumors, which is why loan signing Guessand immediately gains importance. With Kamada and Nketiah still out, Wharton’s sending off in the league is particularly painful.
Glasner is expected to stick with his familiar 3-4-2-1, with Henderson behind a back three of Canvot, Lacroix, and Richards. Muñoz and Mitchell look like the most likely wingbacks, while Wharton should play centrally alongside Lerma. In front of them, Johnson and Pino could operate in the half-spaces, and the forecast sees Guessand as the center forward up front, with Mateta left out and Sarr an obvious option on the bench. If this formation holds, Crystal Palace’s width and counter-attacking threat should come from Muñoz’s aggressive overlaps and Mitchell’s tempo in winning back possession, while Wharton will be tasked with accelerating the passing game in the first phase. The main problem is personnel: Kamada is still out with a thigh injury, and Nketiah is also unavailable, so rotation in the front three is limited. At the back, the absences of Cardines and Kporha narrow the defensive options.
Nottingham – Crystal Palace Head-to-Head & Statistics
Nottingham Forest have had the upper hand in the last five meetings, without pulling away significantly: one win for Forest, Palace without a win, plus four draws. The last two ended 1-1 in August 2025 and May 2025, both at Palace. Forest’s only win in this period came in 2024, a 1-0 home win, surrounded by draws in 2024 and 2023. The lack of goals is striking: five games in a row ended with under 2.5 goals, plus five games in a row with under 1.5 goals in the first half. In other words, the games rarely open up early, and neither side has made this fixture a goal fest recently. Even in the second half, it has mostly remained tight, with under 1.5 goals in three consecutive encounters. Forest have gone unbeaten in all five games, while Palace are winless in the same period, and that counts in duels that are often decided by a single moment. Forest scored in four of the five, Palace in three, suggesting that Forest were slightly more reliable in creating that one decisive chance. With Dyche and Glasner, it could once again come down to structure and patience rather than chaos.
