Crystal Palace – Nottingham Forest
Crystal Palace are still waiting for their first home win against Nottingham Forest, and Sunday at Selhurst Park could be another tough outing. The hosts will have to do without their creative force Eberechi Eze, who moved to Arsenal for £67.5 million, while Forest started the season with a convincing 3-1 win over Brentford despite the uncertain situation surrounding manager Nuno Espírito Santo. Palace only managed a goalless draw against Chelsea in their opening game. A direct comparison reveals a fascinating pattern: the last five meetings have produced four draws and only one win for Forest, with all games ending with less than 2.5 goals. Interestingly, the bookmakers see Palace as slight favorites despite the high-profile departure.
- Venue: Selhurst Park, London
- Date and time: 24.08.2025, 15:00
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 2)
Crystal Palace form & record check
Crystal Palace are facing a crucial phase after the first few weeks of the new season. With just one point from their opening game against Chelsea, the team are in 12th place in the table, although the fact that they are level on points with teams such as Newcastle and Aston Villa highlights the balance in the league. The Eagles are on a remarkable unbeaten run of five games across all competitions. The goalless draw against Chelsea was sobering, but the defense looked solid. This was followed by an important 1-0 win against Fredrikstad in the Conference League, with Mateta scoring the decisive goal. Palace have not lost in their last five games, scoring in 80% of those matches. The second halves are often quieter, which suggests a certain tactical discipline, but may also reveal a lack of cutting edge. Oliver Glasner currently has to juggle considerable personnel problems. In addition to the serious departure of Eze, key players such as Doucouré, Nketiah and França are out injured. Kamada could return in time, but the offense remains thin. The defense around captain Guehi, who remains despite interest from Liverpool, continues to form the backbone of the team.
Crystal Palace are likely to line up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation, even though Oliver Glasner has to plan with a significantly weakened squad. The absences weigh heavily: in addition to long-term injured players such as Riad and Doucouré, Eddie Nketiah and Daichi Kamada are also missing, which considerably limits the options in attack. Following Eze’s departure to Arsenal, Palace are forced to rely on their own youth. Young Devenny could take on a central role behind Mateta. Sarr is likely to play on the left, while the midfield will be built around Wharton and Hughes. In defense, captain Guehi should continue to stabilize the center of defense despite the Liverpool rumors.
Nottingham Form & Record Check
Nottingham Forest have started the new season with a lot of confidence after beating Brentford 3-1 in their opener. Wood was the man of the match with a brace, while new signing Ndoye scored his debut goal. The offense was already working remarkably well after just a few training sessions, thanks in part to the work of Gibbs-White and Anderson. However, speculation surrounding coach Nuno Espírito Santo is overshadowing the sporting success. The Portuguese coach openly admitted that his relationship with club owner Marinakis has deteriorated and that he is “understandably concerned” about his position. His statement, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” leaves little room for interpretation regarding the rumors about his possible dismissal. In sporting terms, however, Forest are in impressive form, sitting sixth in the table with three points and having lost only one of their last five games. The team concedes goals regularly, but also scores very reliably. The signing of Douglas Luiz from Juventus could further strengthen the midfield if the internal disputes can be resolved.
Nottingham Forest are expected to line up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, which proved successful in their first game of the season. Nuno Espírito Santo is likely to rely on tried and tested players, although the absence of Nicolás Domínguez due to a knee injury will be a blow. The €18 million man will be missing in central midfield, which will give Sangaré and Anderson more responsibility. The latest signing Douglas Luiz from Juventus could start on the bench as he has only recently joined the club. The attacking trio of Wood, Gibbs-White and Hudson-Odoi promises to cause trouble again after a successful start to the season. In defense, the tried-and-tested trio of Milenković, Murillo and Williams should once again form the backbone.
H2H Crystal Palace – Nottingham Head-to-head comparison & statistics
The record between Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest is remarkably even, albeit at a low level. The Eagles have never won any of their last five encounters, while Forest have only been victorious once. That was in October 2024 with a narrow 1-0 away win. The series of three consecutive draws, which lasted until the most recent encounter in May 2025, shows how difficult it is for these teams to beat each other. On that occasion, the two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park. What is striking is the consistently low number of goals scored by both sides in these encounters. All five games have had fewer than 2.5 goals, which suggests defensively minded encounters. The first halves have been particularly uneventful, with virtually nothing happening. Forest seem to function slightly better than Palace in these direct comparisons. The visitors have scored in four of the five encounters, while the Londoners have only kept a clean sheet once, suggesting that Nuno Espírito Santos’ team is tactically more astute when facing the Eagles.
“Over 2.5 goals” looks like a clear bet, considering that both teams have scored in 80% of their last five games, while Forest have conceded in each of those games. The data speaks for itself: Forest may only be 7th in the table, but their attack, led by Wood and new signing Ndoye, is already working well, while the defense still lacks coordination. Palace, on the other hand, will have to do without Eze, which could take some structure out of the game, but Mateta and Sarr remain dangerous for a Forest defense that has yet to keep a clean sheet. The “Both teams to score” tip is supported by Forest’s 100% record of conceding in the second half this season. Interestingly, the betting market offers a draw at 3.3, which seems generous given the defensive weaknesses of both sides. A riskier approach is “Over 1.5 goals in the second half,” based on the tendency of both teams to concede at least two goals after the break in 80% of their recent games.
