Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth tips and predictions: New manager bounce not enough for Nuno
- George Dempsey
- 21 December 2023
Nuno Espirito Santo will take charge of Nottingham Forest for the first time as they face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
It felt like Steve Cooper had been clinging on for a very long time, but Evangelos Marinakis finally pulled the plug on Tuesday.
Despite delivering Premier League football, things have gone south for Forest. Five defeats in six is the straw that broke Marinakis’ back and one win in 13 is relegation form.
The Nuno Espirito Santo era will begin on Saturday when Andoni Iraola’s saucy Bournemouth side brings their charismatic approach to the City Ground.
The Spaniard’s energetic approach has drawn its critics this season but it’s taking shape. Something has clicked and Bournemouth look well-organised and a serious goal threat.
Whether it’s carefully considered build-up play or a more direct approach to utilise Dominic Solanke’s skillset, they’ve found a way to win four of five.
Ollie Watkins' 90th-minute header prevented that from being a full house but it’s still a mighty impressive run having beaten Newcastle and Manchester United.
If Cooper had not left, then the Cherries would be a far less attractive price. One factor is the supposed new manager bounce.
Statistically speaking, is it real? Well, sort of. Of the 159 newly-appointed managers, 57 won their first match, which is pretty good if you consider they’re likely taking over a train wreck.
On the other hand, 102 of them didn’t and 39% lost. At one stage, you could get 8/5 on both teams, which to us feels like a massive overreaction. That skewed view has created value on the visitors.
Team news
Taiwo Awoniyi is a long-term absentee for Forest who could also be without the trio of Felipe, Ibrahim Sangare and Serge Aurier as they’ll undergo late fitness tests.
Willy Boly is likely to start for his former boss, as are Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood in the attack.
Tyler Adams, Max Aarons, Hamed Traore, Lloyd Kelly, Ryan Fredericks and Emiliano Marcondes are ruled out, and Darren Randolph is recovering from an illness.
Dominic Solanke has scored four in five to take his tally to the season for nine and will lead the line for the Cherries.
Key stats
- Nottingham Forest have lost five of six in the Premier League
- Bournemouth are unbeaten in six against Forest, including back-to-back wins at the City Ground
- Bournemouth have won four of five in the Premier League
- Dominic Solanke has netted four of Bournemouth’s 11 goals during that run
