Nottingham Forest vs AFC Bournemouth preview

England flag 2025/2026 Premier League, England
The City Ground Sun, 24 May - 3:00 PM
Premier League
Nottingham Forest NFO
AFC Bournemouth BOU
KICKOFF : Sun, 24 May - 3:00 PM
Round 38 Regular Season

CONTEXT

The Premier League stage features Nottingham Forest welcoming AFC Bournemouth to The City Ground for a regular season clash in the 2025/2026 campaign. Home side Nottingham Forest currently occupy 16th position in the domestic table. Visitors AFC Bournemouth sit higher in sixth place. Power ratings give a slight edge to the away team at 73.94 compared with 71.59 for the hosts. Form scores reflect a similar pattern with Bournemouth posting 40 against 24.22. Limited historical data from recent outings leaves room for fresh tactical adjustments on both sides. Set piece metrics carry low confidence levels and rely on proxy estimates. Overall the matchup highlights contrasting league positions and modest power differentials that could shape proceedings.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Nottingham Forest occupy 16th place domestically while AFC Bournemouth hold sixth.
  • Form: Away side records a form score of 40 against the home team's 24.22.
  • Squad: AFC Bournemouth register the higher power score at 73.94 versus 71.59.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency figures stand unavailable for either side ahead of kickoff.
  • Transition: Both clubs display comparable patterns when shifting between defensive and attacking phases.
  • Set pieces: Set piece evaluations depend on low-confidence proxy data for attack and defence.
  • xVariable: Power advantage measures 2.3 points favoring the visiting team.
  • Market: Nottingham Forest 28.5% (Δ-0.7%) | Draw 25.3% (Δ+0.2%) | AFC Bournemouth 46.2% (Δ+0.5%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Nottingham Forest V. de Oliveira Lopes Pereira
V. de Oliveira Lopes Pereira
VS
AFC Bournemouth A. Iraola
A. Iraola
1.24
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.48
1.83 i
Last 6 Opponents
Manchester United Rank: 92 L
Newcastle United Rank: 89 D
Chelsea Rank: 89 W
Sunderland Rank: 82 W
Burnley Rank: 78 W
Aston Villa Rank: 92 D
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
2.33 i
Last 6 Opponents
Manchester City Rank: 99 D
Fulham Rank: 86 W
Crystal Palace Rank: 86 W
Leeds United Rank: 88 D
Newcastle United Rank: 90 W
Arsenal Rank: 98 W
2
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
2 - 5 - 8
8
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Nottingham Forest
28.51%
Draw
25.26%
Away AFC Bournemouth
46.23%

Movement

Changes since opening
Nottingham Forest
-0.66%
Draw
+0.19%
AFC Bournemouth
+0.47%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
71.59
73.94
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Nottingham Forest
AFC Bournemouth
Power Score
71.59
73.94
League Position
16
6
Global Rank
22
11

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Nottingham Forest — Opponent-weighted form score
AFC Bournemouth — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Nottingham Forest AFC Bournemouth

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 15 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Nottingham Forest NFO Home
15 matches
AFC Bournemouth BOU Away
Match Record
2
Wins
8
5
Draws
5
8
Losses
2
Goals
14
Goals Scored
28
28
Goals Conceded
14
-14
Goal Difference
+14
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-05-22T00:09:41+00:00

STARTING XI

Match Formation 4-4-2
Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Pitch
M. Sels
Belgium
26 M. Sels
N. Williams
Wales
3 N. Williams
N. Milenković
Serbia
31 N. Milenković
F. Rodrigues
Brazil
4 F. Rodrigues
L. Netz
Germany
25 L. Netz
O. Giraud-Hutchinson
Jamaica
21 O. Giraud-Hutchinson
E. Anderson
England
8 E. Anderson
N. Domínguez
Argentina
16 N. Domínguez
M. Gibbs-White
England
10 M. Gibbs-White
I. da Cruz
Brazil
19 I. da Cruz
C. Wood
New Zealand
11 C. Wood
Đ. Petrović
Serbia
1 Đ. Petrović
A. Truffert
France
3 A. Truffert
M. Senesi
Argentina
5 M. Senesi
J. Hill
England
23 J. Hill
A. Smith
England
15 A. Smith
T. Adams
United States
12 T. Adams
A. Scott
England
8 A. Scott
M. Tavernier
England
16 M. Tavernier
E. Kroupi
France
22 E. Kroupi
R. Rocha
Brazil
37 R. Rocha
F. de Lima Barbosa
Brazil
9 F. de Lima Barbosa

General Information

Date & Time
May 24, 2026, 03:00 PM
Competition
2025/2026 Premier League, England · Round 38 · Regular Season
Stadium
The City Ground
Capacity
30445
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Lee Betts
Alistair Nelson
Craig Pawson
Gavin Ward

Lineup

Referee : Craig Pawson

Starting XI ▼

26
Matz Sels
Matz Sels Goalkeeper
6.8
3
Neco Williams
Neco Williams Defender
6.93
4
Morato
Morato Defender
6.79
25
Luca Netz
Luca Netz Defender
6.61
31
Nikola Milenković
Nikola Milenković Defender
6.74
8
Elliot Anderson
Elliot Anderson Midfielder
7.26
10
Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs-White Midfielder
7.04
16
Nicolás Domínguez
Nicolás Domínguez Midfielder
6.78
21
Omari Hutchinson
Omari Hutchinson Midfielder
6.81
11
Chris Wood
Chris Wood Attacker
6.82
19
Igor Jesus
Igor Jesus Attacker
6.79
Referee : Craig Pawson

Starting XI ▼

1
Djordje Petrovic
Djordje Petrovic Goalkeeper
6.8
3
Adrien Truffert
Adrien Truffert Defender
6.84
5
Marcos Senesi
Marcos Senesi Defender
7.06
15
Adam Smith
Adam Smith Defender
6.53
23
James Hill
James Hill Defender
6.93
8
Alex Scott
Alex Scott Midfielder
6.99
12
Tyler Adams
Tyler Adams Midfielder
6.81
22
Eli Kroupi
Eli Kroupi Midfielder
6.87
9
Evanilson
Evanilson Attacker
6.81
16
Marcus Tavernier
Marcus Tavernier Attacker
6.94
37
Rayan
Rayan Attacker
7

CONCLUSION

AFC Bournemouth enter with superior league standing and stronger recent form indicators that may influence their approach at The City Ground. Nottingham Forest will look to leverage home support and defensive organization to counter the visitors' advantages. Limited set piece insights suggest both teams must rely on open play execution instead. Power differentials remain narrow enough to allow for competitive exchanges throughout the ninety minutes. Tactical discipline in transitions could prove decisive given the absence of detailed efficiency metrics. Overall the fixture promises a measured contest where positional awareness and squad depth help determine the outcome on the day.