- On the first weekend of the Premier League season, Nottingham Forest hosts Bournemouth at the City Ground.
- Nuno Espirito Santo is in command for his first full year at the club.
- Cherries experienced a promising debut season under Andoni Iraola.
Nottingham Forest will host Bournemouth at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon to kick off their Premier League season in 2024/25.
Nuno Espirito Santo, who replaced Steve Cooper midway through last season, led Forest to safety, and an unusually calm summer has some hopeful for an improvement this season after back-to-back relegation fights.
Forest has successfully retained its core, addressed any financial difficulties, and strengthened a handful key positions.
However, their first assignment of the new campaign is a hard one. After a poor start, Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth improved dramatically last season, demonstrating what they were all about with their Spanish boss at the helm during purple spells. Dominic Solanke, the Cherries’ highest scorer from 2023/24, has left the club, and Porto’s Evanilson has been named his successor.
Solanke’s departure is obviously a setback, and Iraola will need to play admirably on the sidelines for Bournemouth to improve on their 12th-place result.
Here’s a 90-minute preview of this Premier League opening weekend match.
What time does Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth kick off?
Nottingham, England Stadium: City Ground.
Date: Saturday, August 17
Kickoff time is 15:00 BST / 12:00 ET / 09:00 PT.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
VAR: Andy Madley.
Nottingham Forest versus Bournemouth Head-to-Head Record (last five games)
Nottingham Forest has 0 victories.
Bournemouth: three victories.
Draws: 2
Current form in all competitions.
|
Nottingham Forest |
Bournemouth |
|---|---|
|
Olympiacos 3-4 Nottingham Forest – 08/08/24 |
Bournemouth 3-2 Girona – 10/08/24 |
|
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Villarreal – 02/08/24 |
Bournemouth 1-0 Rayo Vallecano – 04/08/24 |
|
Elche 1-0 Nottingam Forest – 26/07/24 |
Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth – 25/07/24 |
|
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Millwall – 23/07/24 |
Wrexham 1-1 Bournemouth – 21/07/24 |
|
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Sunderland – 19/07/24 |
Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth – 19/05/24 |
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth on TV and live stream
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
BBC Radio Nottingham (not televised) |
|
United States |
Peacock |
|
Canada |
fuboTV Canada |
Nottingham Forest Team News
The hosts are expected to be heartened by a clean sheet of health into Matchday 1. Forest was plagued by important absences last season, but they evaded the injury bug this summer.
Santo should field a familiar starting lineup, with centre-back Nikola Milenkovic making his Premier League debut alongside Murillo.
Matz Sels will start the season as the club’s number one, with Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Anthony Elanga slotting in behind Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nottingham Forest’s expected lineup versus Bournemouth
Nottingham Forest’s probable lineup versus Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Sels: Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.
Bournemouth team news
Bournemouth will seek to complete the signing of Solanke’s replacement, Evanilson, following Saturday’s game. In the absence of a designated number nine, Antoine Semenyo could lead the line.
The visitors are missing Enes Unal, Tyler Adams, and David Brooks due to injuries, while goalkeeper Neto and center-back Marcos Senesi are both doubtful. If Senesi is injured, promising summer addition Dean Huijsen should get his Premier League debut.
Bournemouth Predicted Lineup vs Nottingham Forest
Bournemouth’s anticipated starting versus Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Tavernier, Kluivert, Sinisterra; Semenyo.
Nottingham Forest versus Bournemouth score prediction
Forest’s successful summer and the loss of Solanke would lead to a home victory, but history is important, and Bournemouth have dominated this match-up in recent years.
The Cherries are unbeaten in eight encounters against Forest, with their previous defeat coming in 2015. While their spirits may be low due to the loss of their top scorer, the visitors will undoubtedly be boosted by their recent success in this game.
Bournemouth are much more than just Solanke. Iraola is a good coach, and they should be able to manage a Forest team that will look to play in transition on Saturday. This might be a back-and-forth affair, with the hosts possibly getting off to a good start, but Bournemouth are ultimately the better side, and it wouldn’t surprise if they continued their productive run in this away game.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1–2 Bournemouth
