Nottingham Forest FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion, English Premier League 2025-26, Today Match Prediction

Nottingham Forest FC vs Brighton & Hove Albion Match Prediction & Analysis

A resurgent Nottingham Forest host Brighton at the City Ground on Sunday in a meeting of two sides sitting at opposite ends of the table. Forest, in the bottom half, come in buzzing after their stunning 3-0 win over Liverpool in matchweek 12, while Brighton, settled in the top half, also arrive on the back of a strong victory. With both teams carrying confidence, this has the makings of a cracking contest.

Current Standings: At present, Nottingham is placed 16th in the league standings, while Brighton finds itself sitting at the 6th spot with 19 points. 

Head-to-Head Record: In their limited meetings, the sides have faced each other just six times, with two wins each and two draws keeping the rivalry perfectly balanced.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Nottingham Forest FC Preview

Last week’s trip to Anfield proved historic for Sean Dyche’s side, as goals from Murillo, Nicolo Savona and Morgan Gibbs-White secured Forest’s second straight win there—a feat they hadn’t managed since the 1962/63 and 1963/64 seasons. And their success came from a clear, disciplined plan: sit deep, narrow the space around the penalty area, absorb wave after wave of pressure, and break quickly with long balls. 

The numbers tell the story—Forest faced 20 shots and held just 25% possession—yet executed their counter-attacking blueprint to perfection. The win marked Forest’s third of the season—and their second in a row—lifting them out of the relegation zone. The Tricky Trees are clearly starting to find their stride under Sean Dyche.

Stats that matter 

1. Sean Dyche became the only 6th manager to win away to Liverpool with two different teams in the Premier League.
2. In a first, Morgan Gibbs-White has now scored in each of his last three appearances in the Premier League.
3. Nottingham Forest along with Wolves are the only teams yet to score from outside the box in the league this season.

Team News 

Sean Dyche will have concerns, as his already long injury list has grown further—Morgan Gibbs-White, in fine form of late, is now a doubt for Sunday after picking up a knock that ruled him out of the recent Europa League match with Malmo. 

Nottingham Forest  Probable Starting Lineup - Sels (GK); Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams (Defenders); Sangare, Elliott Anderson, James McAtee (Midfielders);  Hutchinson, Dan Ndoye, Jesus (Forwards). 

Brighton & Hove Albion Preview

Brighton & Hove Albion have once again started strongly, already chalking up eye-catching wins over Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle. They also showed resilience last weekend, coming from a goal down to beat Brentford 2-1 through Welbeck and Hinshelwood. 

The real test for Fabian Hürzeler, though, will be avoiding a repeat of last season, when Brighton’s strong start of 22 points after 12 games quickly unraveled into an eight-match winless run. And with four of last season’s top seven awaiting them in the next six fixtures, maintaining momentum won’t be easy.

Stats that matter 

1. Brighton have won more points from losing positions than any team have had in the league this season (10).
2. Vast majority of the goals (15) scored by the Seagulls have come in the second half, the most by a team this season in the league.
3. Danny Welbeck has scored seven goals in his last seven Premier League appearances. 

Team News

Hürzeler confirmed that all the players available last weekend remain fit, and ready for the weekend’s fixture. As for James Milner and Kaoru Mitoma, both are edging closer to a return, but neither is expected back before Christmas.

Brighton Probable Starting Lineup - Verbruggen (GK); Wieffer, Dunk, van Hecke, F. Kadioglu (Defenders); Ayari, Baleba, Rutter (Midfielders); Welbeck, Minteh, Gomez  (Forwards). 

NOTTINGHAM FOREST FC vs BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
Winning Prediction

The last time these sides met at the City Ground, Forest stunned Brighton 7-0 with a Chris Wood hat-trick—but things are very different now. Forest aren’t at that level this season, and Wood is sidelined. They’ll still be buoyed by the Liverpool win, though the Reds themselves have struggled. Sunday will reveal how far Dyche’s men have come. 

For Brighton, the task is improving a shaky away record, with three of their defeats coming on the road and a recent 1-1 draw at Wolves. Even so, based on overall form, Brighton remain the favourites. In fact, the bookmakers too have backed Brighton over Forest in this fixture albeit by fine margins.

Brighton & Hove Albion to win (1-0)

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