Nottingham Forest – FC Brentford
A hand’s breadth of aluminum and a City goal separated Nottingham Forest from reaching the FA Cup final a few days ago – now Brentford is set to feel the Reds’ frustration. With 60 points, Forest are in 6th place in the table, level on points with Chelsea. A win could even catapult them up to 3rd place and leave the door wide open for Champions League qualification.
Manager Nuno Espírito Santo is talking about the “biggest games of his career,” while Neco Williams and Anthony Elanga are back in time to give the wing play an extra boost. On the other side, the in-form Bees travel to London on the back of a 4-2 win over Brighton; Bryan Mbeumo (18 goals this season) and Yoane Wissa epitomize Brentford’s attacking prowess, while Thomas Frank has to continue improvising due to the long-term absence of Vitaly Janelt.
Forest won the first leg 2-0 in London, and there have almost always been several goals in recent head-to-head encounters. Excitement is guaranteed – Forest are fighting for a place in the Champions League, while Brentford are battling to stay in the European places.
Nottingham – Brentford Info
- Venue: The City Ground, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
- Date and time: May 1, 2025, 8:30 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 34)
Nottingham form & record check
Forest have won three and lost two of their last five competitive games, with no draws during that period. The 2-1 win at Tottenham showed how dangerous they can be on the counterattack, but defeats to Everton (0-1) and Aston Villa (1-2) exposed weaknesses against deep-lying opponents.
Noteworthy: Forest conceded at least one goal in 80% of these games, and never scored more than 1.5 goals after the break. Gibbs-White directs play from deep, Ola Aina provides stability, but the team struggles to create chances when the opposition defends compactly. A home win is a must if they want to realize their dream of an international comeback after more than four decades.
Forest are likely to line up in a 4-4-2 formation again. Sels – Aurier, Milenković, Murillo, Aina – Anderson, Domínguez, Danilo, Gibbs-White – Hudson-Odoi, Wood. The central defense pairing of Milenković and Murillo looks solid, Domínguez and Danilo provide balance, and Elanga remains an option as a wild card on the wings. There are no major absences – continuity is the keyword.
Brentford Form & Record Check
Brentford are traveling with momentum after their 4-2 win over Brighton. In their last five league games, the team has recorded two wins, two draws, and only one defeat (1-2 at Newcastle). Interestingly, four of those games were tied at halftime, and they never took an early lead.
The Mbeumo/Wissa duo is working well in attack – Brentford has scored in four of its last five games, but has also conceded at least once in four games. Injuries to Janelt, Dasilva, and Hickey reduce the depth in midfield and at full-back. Nevertheless, the away record is respectable: only two defeats in nine away games.
Brentford are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Flekken – Ajer, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter – Nørgaard, Yarmoliuk – Schade, Damsgaard, Mbeumo – Wissa. Thomas Frank will still be without Janelt, Dasilva, Carvalho, Hickey and Igor Thiago, which weakens the full-backs and the center in particular. Rico Henry is available as backup after a long break.
H2H Nottingham – Brentford Head-to-head & statistics
The last five head-to-head matches paint a balanced picture: two draws, two Brentford wins, and one Forest victory (2-0 in December 2024). At least two goals were scored in each match, with both teams finding the net in every game – the second half was particularly eventful, with four goals in four matches.
Streaks that remain relevant for Thursday: five consecutive games with both teams scoring, always over 1.5 goals and no clear dominance from either club. Statistically, therefore, there is a lot to suggest a high-scoring game in which small details will decide the outcome.
