Premier League: Fulham and Forest Are Looking Upwards

Fulham vs Nottingham Forest

It may be a clash between 14^th and 16^th but Premier League: Fulham vs Nottingham Forest pits two in-form teams together on Monday.

Marco Silva’s Fulham have pulled away from the bottom three in recent weeks and Nottingham Forest, now managed by Sean Dyche, are on their coat-tails. Both clubs have picked up three wins from their last five Premier League outings, more than any of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United have managed.

Fulham will hope to bounce back from a Carabao Cup defeat in Newcastle in midweek while both teams come into the match on the back of a strong league result, Fulham beating strugglers Burnley by the odd goal in five, while Nottingham Forest swept Tottenham Hotspur aside 3-0. As the Cottagers took three points away from Burnley last week the basement battlers in general had a bad week, to give both Fulham and Forest more comfort and a chance to look up the table, rather than over their shoulders.

 

Talking Points

Robinson’s return is huge for Fulham

After a sluggish start to the campaign the Cottagers’ league results have picked up in recent weeks, and the big Fulham vs Nottingham Forest news coming from West London is the return of USA wingback Antonee Robinson. Now 28, and in the prime of his career, Robinson is firmly established as one of the Premier League’s best wingbacks. In 2023/24 he made more interceptions, at 81, than any other player in the top flight and was Fulham’s player of the season. Last term Robinson made 10 Premier League assists, the most of any defender.

After picking up a serious tendon injury Robinson was sidelined; and he returned to play his first full 90 minutes of the campaign in Fulham’s visit to Burnley last week. That successful return was a huge boost to Silva’s team as the Stars and Stripes man combines superb defensive capability with an enthusiasm to raid down the wing and support his attack.

Another Fulham stalwart, Harry Wilson, was outstanding in last week’s win over the Clarets. He is Fulham’s top scorer with five and, as Silva is missing striker Rodrigo Muniz through injury, as well as Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze heading to AFCON, Wilson will be a key man in the Fulham attack. And the ever improving Emile Smith-Rowe will hope to continue his scoring form after he bagged the first in Burnley.

 

Dyche has Forest functioning

Nottingham Forest’s chaotic start to the 2025/26 campaign made them look like serious relegation candidates by mid October. Club owner Evangelos Marinakis sacked Nuno Epsirito Santo, the man who delivered European football to the City Ground, within a month of the season. No surprise there I guess. He then appointed Ange Postecoglou who he sacked within 39 days, to give the affable Aussie the shortest permanent managerial reign in Premier League history.

No surprise there either.

Then he appointed former player Sean Dyche and that made us sit up and notice. The 54-year-old is one of the most charismatic and single minded managers in recent top flight history. In his ten years at Burnley Dyche turned the Clarets into a solid mid-table side in the Premier League, with six top flight campaigns in a row on a shoestring budget. He became known as the Ginger Mourinho; so give him a squad of expensively assembled players and see what Dyche can do.

After his appointment on October 21^st he led Forest to a Europa Conference League win over Porto and has picked up another six wins since, including a 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield. Dyche knows how to win Premier League games and I wouldn’t bet against him leading Forest to a top ten position.

 

History

In their previous 20 encounters Fulham have won 13 to Forest’s six and there has been just one draw. At Craven Cottage Fulham have won seven and lost three. Last season Silva’s men did the double with a 1-0 win at the County Ground followed by a 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage as Calvin Bassey headed a second half winner.

Forest have the edge in terms of recent form with four wins and two defeats from the last six games in all competitions, while the Cottagers have won three and lost three; but the pre-match Fulham vs Nottingham Forest betting odds give the hosts a small advantage.

 

Betting Tip

Fulham are the favourites to win this Monday clash at SBOTOP odds of 2.45, with Nottingham Forest priced at 2.88 and the draw is at 3.15; and a repeat of last season’s 2-1 win to Fulham is available at 9.50… so there is my alternative bet.

   

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