Sunday's sole Premier League clash sees Nottingham Forest entertain Brentford at the City Ground, with a solitary point separating the two sides in the table.

The Tricky Trees suffered a narrow defeat against 10-man Manchester City last time out, while the Bees failed to create a buzz in Wednesday's EFL Cup loss against Arsenal.

Match preview

When Phil Foden and Erling Haaland scored inside 14 minutes at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, it looked as though Nottingham Forest would find themselves on the receiving end of a mauling, but Pep Guardiola's men failed to add to their early advantage.

In fact, the visitors enjoyed plenty of success following Rodri's 46th-minute red card, with Steve Cooper's men racking up 63% possession and nine shots in the second half, limiting Man City to a solitary attempt on goal after the break.

It is fair to say that Forest have made a decent start to the 2023-24 campaign, especially when you compare their current situation to last season's struggles, as the Tricky Trees have already picked up two wins and one draw in the Premier League this term.

Following a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United, Cooper's side banished their away-day woes with a 1-0 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Burnley, courtesy of a wonder goal from debutant Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Having lost just two of their previous 17 home games in the Premier League - securing positive results against Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea at the City Ground - Forest will be hopeful of enjoying another successful afternoon on Trentside.

Brentford enter Sunday's clash on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the EFL Cup, although Thomas Frank's men can count themselves unfortunate to have bowed out in the third round after registering 18 shots against the Gunners on Wednesday.

The Bees made a strong start to the season, drawing 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend before crushing rivals Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage, but they have failed to taste victory inside 90 minutes since then, with a penalty-shootout win against Newport County coming last month.

As a result, Brentford head to the City Ground on a four-game winless run in the Premier League, having taken just two points from a possible 12 since defeating Fulham on the second weekend of the season, with back-to-back defeats halting the club's progress.

After drawing with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, the Bees suffered a 1-0 loss at Newcastle United before enduring a rare 3-1 home defeat against struggling Everton last weekend, handing the Toffees their first league win of the season in the process.

With Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scoring regular goals at the start of the season, Brentford appeared to be coping without suspended talisman Ivan Toney, but Frank's side have struggled in attack of late, netting a solitary goal in their previous three outings.

Team News

Nottingham Forest were blighted by injuries throughout their comeback campaign in the Premier League, but the squad looks a lot healthier now, with Brazilian midfielder Danilo and Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares the only current injury concerns.

That said, Cooper is still searching for his best starting XI following another influx of signings, with high-profile players like Ibrahim Sangare, Anthony Elanga, Nicolas Dominguez, Divock Origi and Hudson-Odoi arriving at the City Ground during the summer transfer window.

Having chalked up 11 goal involvements - nine goals and two assists - across his last 11 Premier League appearances, Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi will continue to lead the line for the Reds, while influential playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White will operate behind the striker.

Elsewhere, Cooper is expected to revert back to a four-man defence after lining up with five at the back against Man City, meaning that Joe Worrall and Moussa Niakhate should start at centre-back, with Ola Aina and Serge Aurier occupying the full-back spots.

As for Brentford, key left-back Rico Henry could miss the remainder of the campaign after sustaining an ACL injury, while Kevin Schade, Josh Dasilva, Ben Mee, Mikkel Damsgaard and Shandon Baptiste are all unavailable for Sunday's showdown.

With Toney sidelined until January for breaching Football Association betting rules, Keane Lewis-Potter looks set to join Mbeumo and Wissa in the Bees' forward line, with Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt expected to line up in a three-man midfield.

Ethan Pinnock and Nathan Collins will resume their centre-back partnership this weekend, while 21-year-old Scotland international Aaron Hickey will likely start at left-back, enabling Mads Roerslev to occupy the right-back role for the visitors.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Turner; Aurier, Worrall, Niakhate, Ainia; Sangare, Yates; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Hickey; Jensen, Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Wissa, Lewis-Potter

We say: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Brentford

When you couple Nottingham Forest's impressive home record in the Premier League with Brentford's iffy form, all the signs point towards a win for Cooper's side on Sunday.

Having lost each of their last three matches, the Bees look set to suffer a fourth successive defeat at the expense of the Tricky Trees, who will likely claim a narrow victory at the City Ground.

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