Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest FC, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

Leicester City vs Nottingham Forest FC Match Prediction & Analysis

The East Midlands Derby is here, and so are we to savour every bit of action that comes our way. Leicester opened their account before the International break against Bournemouth by registering a 1-0 win. What they did after was even more emphatic, as they came back from a 2 goal deficit to win 3-2 against the Saints. Jordan Ayew’s last gasp winner timed 97 minutes 34 seconds was Leicester’s latest Premier League winner since record keeping began 18 years back. 

Steve Cooper will be playing his old club, having managed them for just above 2 years. The Englishman will know how much of a threat some of those players carry. But simultaneously will rely on the expertise of his own crop of players to deliver.

Chris Wood scored his 5th goal of the Premier League campaign against Palace on Monday night, 25 minutes from time to send City ground in raptures. Forest’s search for a striker took extensive research over the summer, but now they can say they have arguably landed the best. Palace counterpart, Eddie Nketiah was previously wanted. 

But the returns the Kiwi has produced is incomparable. Wood has now become just the third player behind Bryan Roy and Stan Collymore to score 20 or more goals for Forest in the Premier League. If his form continues the way it is, Reds boss Nuno would not for one bit mind watching games from the stands, as he serves his touchline ban. Before the Portuguese manager arrived, Wood had scored just 6 goals in a season and a half, before netting 4 in Nuno’s first two games, including a hat-trick against Newcastle last December. 

Head-to-Head Record : Both teams have played each other 68 times in all competitions. Forest have won 29 games, Leicester have won 23, while 16 have ended in draws. 

Current Standings : The Foxes are 14th in the rankings having amassed 9 points. The Reds are enjoying life in the top half of the table in 8th position having collected 13 points. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Leicester City Preview

The Foxes have won their last two Premier League home games against Nottingham Forest (December 1998 and October 2022), having won neither of the first two in the competition (D1, L1). There have been at least 4 goals scored in all four of Leicester’s Premier League home games against Forest - a 4-2 win for Forest in March 1995, a 2-2 draw in December 1996, and 3-1 and 4-0 for Leicester in December 1998 and October 2022 respectively. 

After winning none of their opening 6 Premier League matches, Leicester have now won both of their last two. The Foxes last won three consecutive matches in the Premier League under Brendan Rogers in January 2021. Only three teams have gained more points from losing positions in the Premier League this season than Leicester City (5), who came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 last time out against Southampton. The Foxes had lost each of their previous 66 top-flight matches when trailing by two goals before this victory. 

Key Players - Talisman Jamie Vardy has scored three Premier League goals from just nine shots this season (33.3% conversion rate). Since his debut season in 2014-2015, Vardy has the best shot conversion rate of any player to attempt 300+ shots in that time (22.1%). Facundo Buonanotte has been involved in 5 goals in his previous 6 Premier League appearances for Leicester (3 goals, 2 assists). The 19 year-old could become just the 10th teenager to score or assist in 4 appearances in a row and be the first since Evan Ferguson for Brighton in January 2023.

Injury list - Patson Daka, Jakub Stolarczyk and Hamza Choudhury are all ruled out for Friday night football. 

Leicester City Probable Starting Lineup -  Hermansen (GK), Justin, Faes, Okoli, Kristiansen (DEF), Ndidi, Winks, Fatawu (MID), Buonanotte, Ayew, Vardy (FWD).

Nottingham Forest FC Preview

Forest won 2-0 against Leicester in their last league meeting (Jan 2023), last winning consecutive league matches in March 2005 and December 2009. The Reds are unbeaten in their last 6 away games in the Premier League (W4, D2); their longest run without defeat since February-October 1995 (12 games). 

Forest have averaged 1.36 points per away match in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo, after averaging just 0.46 under previous manager Steve Cooper. Nuno relies on a strong backline. The Portuguese positions his teams in rock solid fashion, which is why only Liverpool (3) have conceded fewer goals than Nottingham Forest (6), while Nuno also ranked third in expected goals against (8.81). The Reds conceded 20 shots against Crystal Palace on Monday night, yet held them to under one expected goal (0.97). 

The difference makers

Morgan Gibbs-White injury has been a blessing in disguise for Elliott Anderson. He became one of three players to create 5+ chances and complete 5+ dribbles in the Premier League match this season (5 chances created and six completed dribbles vs Crystal Palace), along with Salah against Bournemouth and Saka against Leicester City. 

Injury list - Danilo, Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi are the men in red who miss out through injury. 

Nottingham Forest Probable Starting Lineup - Sels (GK), Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Moreno, (DEF), Yates, Ward-Prowse, Elanga, Anderson, Dominguez (MID), Wood (FWD).

LEICESTER CITY vs NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC
Winning Prediction

This fixture has produced goals aplenty, and I don’t see why Friday night won’t be the night for the same. The game is billed to be defence versus attack. Both teams won their previous Premier League games after returning from International break and will be brimming with confidence to continue that momentum. Big names like Vardy and Wood will have their say. It’s only a matter of time now to see which teams want it more. 

Nottingham Forest to Win (2-3)

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