Promotion-chasing Bournemouth welcome in-form Nottingham Forest to Dean Court for Friday night football from the Championship. Mark O’Haire previews the encounter.
“Six of the Reds’ most recent eight away days have seen fewer than three goals, suggesting another low-scoring encounter could be on the cards”
Bournemouth pick up vital victory
Bournemouth boss Scott Parker described last weekend’s come-from-behind 2-1 success at Blackpool as a “big win” and said it will serve as a reminder to rival Championship clubs that his side are never “going to be out of games.” The Cherries appeared to be heading for a defeat, trailing 1-0, with Dom Solanke missing a penalty from their only clear-cut chance.
However, late strikes from Jamal Lowe and debutant Siriki Dembele snatched the three points as Bournemouth clinched top honours from a losing position for the first time since the start of October. Speaking post-match, Parker said: “I don’t feel like we smashed and grabbed that. I thought from start to finish we were very good. We were a constant threat.”
Parker confirmed Ryan Christie is seeing a specialist and will be unavailable for Friday night’s fixture, whilst Gary Cahill is hoping to be involved again after resting a knee injury last weekend. Elsewhere, new signing Ethan Laird could be in the Bournemouth squad after returning to training but Jefferson Lerma is serving the second of a four-match suspension.
Yates rescues late point for Forest
Ryan Yates came off the bench to rescue a point for 10-man Nottingham Forest against Stoke last weekend at the City Ground. The Reds took the lead through Brennan Johnson, only to be pegged back by Josh Maja’s goal from a corner, and Forest were dealt another blow when goalkeeper Brice Samba was issued a straight red card five minutes from time.
Joe Worrall stepped in goal but was unable to stop Lewis Baker’s subsequent penalty, leaving the Potters on course to claim the three points. That was until Yates headed home in stoppage time after James Garner had gone close with a free-kick. The stalemate saw Steve Cooper‘s side drop out of the top-six positions ahead of Friday night.
Speaking post-match, Cooper said: “I’m never going to say a point is a good one at home, but I think today we have to accept it. We were trying to win the game. Sometimes you do that at the risk of getting beaten. If we want to achieve we need to have that mentality.”
The Forest boss was critical of Samba, who will now miss three matches through suspension, with It Jordan Smith and Ethan Horvath vying for the gloves in his absence. Elsewhere, the Reds were pleased to welcome Alex Mighton back into the squad after a long injury lay-off.
Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have crossed swords 13 times in league action dating back to the 2005/06 campaign with the Cherries enjoying slight W5-D3-L3 supremacy. The Dorset club were 2-1 winners in the reverse meeting back in August – Bournemouth’s first-ever victory at the City Ground. The hosts have W5-D1-L1 in their last meetings here.
Bournemouth 1.834/5 enjoyed a club-record unbeaten start to the campaign, avoiding defeat in their opening 15 fixtures. However, the Cherries stuttered thereafter before finding a degree of consistency again since Christmas; Scott Parker’s posse have pocketed top honours in five of their last seven and have won four of six at home to the top-10.
Nottingham Forest 4.607/2 sit second in the Championship based on results since Steve Cooper took charge (W12-D7-L4). Three of the four defeats have come against top-six rivals with the Reds returning W2-D4-L7 when facing top-half teams across the whole campaign. The guests have W7-D4-L4 on their travels, boasting the second-best defence in the division.
Few goals fancied
Bournemouth have silenced 13 (43%) of their 30 opponents under Scott Parker and after a few wobbles, the Cherries’ defensive resilience has returned in recent weeks following key players returning. The visitors have conceded multiple goals on just seven occasions and seen Under 2.5 Goals 1.804/5 pay-out in seven of their most recent 12 league encounters.
Nottingham Forest are trending in the right direction but also have a penchant for tight tussles when taking to the road. Six of the Reds’ most recent eight away days have seen fewer than three goals, suggesting another low-scoring encounter could be on the cards, especially so considering the high-stakes fixture on our hands for Friday night.
With that in mind, I’m happy to take the 1.804/5 available for Under 2.5 Goals.
Source: Betfair UK English Championship
