A small turning point in the season could be decided at Craven Cottage on Monday evening between an entertaining but still inconsistent Fulham and an improving Nottingham Forest. In the Premier League’s 17th matchday clash, Fulham, currently 14th in the table, face Nottingham Forest, who are two points behind in 16th. The gaps in the middle of the table are small, so this encounter looks like an opportunity for Marco Silva’s side to stabilize and for Sean Dyche’s Forest to move further away from the relegation battle. Fulham are coming off a 3-2 league win at Burnley, but also suffered a late exit from the Carabao Cup at Newcastle, which fits in with a season that has been entertaining but not yet consistently convincing. Forest travel to London with momentum after a clear 3-0 demolition of Tottenham and a total of six wins in their last ten competitive games, but a squad that should be eyeing Europe remains below expectations in 16th place. The recent record favors Fulham, who have won four of the last five head-to-head matches and defeated Forest 3-1 in a friendly at this stadium in July. Both teams are depleted by call-ups for the Africa Cup of Nations and key injuries, so Wilson for Fulham and Hudson-Odoi for Forest are likely to take on additional creative responsibility. The betting markets rate the match as very evenly balanced, with a draw considered a realistic option.
- Venue: Craven Cottage, London
- Date and time: December 22, 2025, 9:00 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 17)
Given Fulham’s high-scoring first halves and vulnerable defense, Over 1.5 goals before the break and Both teams to score: Yes are logical options, supported by the recent series of open games such as the 3-2 win at Burnley and Wilson’s form. Forest’s resurgence under Dyche and Fulham’s absences due to the Africa Cup of Nations also make the visitors an interesting double chance, especially as the bookmakers see Fulham at just around 2.5 and Forest at around 2.9 in what is a very balanced market overall.
Fulham Form & Record Check
Fulham’s league form seems almost chaotic. In their last four Premier League games, they had a 2-1 away win at Tottenham, a 5-4 home defeat to Manchester City, a narrow 2-1 win at Craven Cottage against Crystal Palace, this time with the worse outcome for Fulham, and then a 3-2 win at Burnley. A total of 20 goals were scored in these four games, so Fulham always finds ways to score, but cannot consistently get a grip on defensive gaps and game management. Across all competitions, they have two wins and three defeats in their last five games, most recently a 2-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup at Newcastle, decided by a header in injury time. There has not been a single draw in this series, and every game has produced at least three goals. Fulham has scored in the first half in all five games, but has conceded goals after the break without exception. Fulham is in 14th place in the table with 20 points, just one point behind Bournemouth and just ahead of Brentford, while Forest is two points behind. Given the offensive potential available to Marco Silva and the structure he has put in place, this lower mid-table position seems rather sobering, especially as away wins at Tottenham and Burnley suggested that the team could break into the top half of the table. Offensively, Fulham are exceeding expectations, carried by Wilson, who is in outstanding form in the league. He has scored three goals and provided four assists in the last four matchdays, contributing to most of Fulham’s ten goals during that period. This productivity has helped cushion the loss of Iwobi and Chukwueze, who have a combined total of ten goal contributions in the league and are missing due to their involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations. Defensively, the record is significantly weaker. Silva’s team has conceded goals in each of its last five competitive games, always after the break, including the aforementioned header in Newcastle that sealed their exit from the Carabao Cup. The absence of Bassey, Iwobi, and Chukwueze, as well as the injuries to Muniz and Sessegnon, have obviously shifted the balance and forced some makeshift solutions.
Fulham are likely to stick with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Accordingly, a probable starting lineup would be Leno in goal, with a back four of Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, and Robinson in front of him. Berge and Lukić would form the double six in the center, with Wilson, Smith Rowe, and Kevin occupying the attacking trio behind Jiménez. This would be the obvious continuation of Marco Silva’s recent lineup decisions, but it remains a projection. Important absences characterize this possible formation. Bassey, Iwobi, and Chukwueze are at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Sessegnon and Muniz are missing, so the predicted back four and Jiménez up front seem relatively certain. The biggest question concerns Lukić, who is listed as doubtful, which is why Reed or Cairney could also cover the midfield if his fitness problems persist.
Nottingham Form & Record Check
Nottingham Forest appear much more stable ahead of their visit to Craven Cottage than their position in the table suggests. The team are in 16th place with 18 points and a negative goal difference, but under Sean Dyche they have picked up 13 points in eight league games, a haul surpassed by only four clubs during that period. The gap to Brentford above and Leeds below is only two points, so the current momentum is particularly important. Recent performances show a team that is still testing its limits. The 3-0 win over Tottenham at City Ground was as controlled as it was ruthless, with Hudson-Odoi and Sangaré playing decisive roles. That was preceded by a hard-fought 2-1 win in the Europa League in Utrecht and a 1-0 away win at Wolves, but these were offset by sobering league defeats to Brighton and a 3-0 collapse at Everton. Interestingly, the last five competitive games have all ended with a winner, so there has not been a single draw, and four of those games have seen at least two goals. The first halves, on the other hand, have been rather tight, with usually less than two goals before the break. It seems that Dyche keeps his team very compact at first and gives players like Gibbs-White and the wingers more freedom after the break. Injuries and tournament call-ups have also had an impact on this phase. Sels, Domínguez, Yates, Wood, Sangaré, and Boly have missed playing time, and Aina is also unavailable, which is why Dyche has relied heavily on Murillo, Zinchenko, Gibbs-White, and Hudson-Odoi. The clear 4-2-3-1 formation looks stable and slightly more offensive, and although last season’s European dreams seem a long way off at the moment, Forest are once again presenting themselves as a cohesive, difficult team to play against.
Forest are also expected to line up in a compact 4-2-3-1 formation under Dyche, which has underpinned their recent improvement. In our predicted starting eleven, John Victor is in goal, with a back four of Savona, Milenković, Murillo, and Zinchenko. In front of them, Douglas Luiz and Anderson would operate as a double pivot, with Ndoye and Hudson-Odoi on the wings, while Gibbs-White takes up the central creative position. Up front, we expect Kalimuendo to be the lone striker. Here, too, injuries are a factor. Sels, Aina, Domínguez, Yates, and Wood are unavailable, while Sangaré and Boly are at the Africa Cup of Nations. As Awoniyi’s fitness continues to be monitored, we see Kalimuendo as an option up front and assume that Douglas Luiz will form the double six alongside Anderson, although this assessment remains provisional.
Fulham – Nottingham Head-to-head & statistics
Fulham have the clear upper hand in the last five head-to-head matches, with four wins to Nottingham Forest’s one and no draws. The goal difference of 12 scored and 5 conceded suggests that the matchups tend to be open, but so far have tended to favor Marco Silva’s team. Home advantage has been significant. Fulham hosted Forest three times during this period, twice in the league and once in a friendly in July 2025, winning all three games. Forest’s only win came in 2024 with a 3-1 home victory, while their other home game in 2024 ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat. Goals have been a constant feature. All five games exceeded the 1.5 goal mark and four were over 2.5, so cautious game plans were hardly rewarded in this pairing. Fulham scored in each of these games, while Forest conceded in all five encounters and only managed to limit Fulham to one goal on two occasions. Chronologically, the pattern is clear. Fulham opened this series with a 5-0 home win in 2023, Forest struck back with that 3-1 home win in 2024, but since then Fulham have put together a three-game winning streak, including a narrow league win in February 2025 and a more comfortable 3-1 friendly win in July 2025. The trends after the break are also striking. Fulham scored in all five encounters after the break and won the second half in four of them, suggesting that they often go into the final stages of the game as the stronger team. Forest conceded goals after the break in every game, which meant that game management in the closing stages regularly favored Fulham.
