- Head-to-head: Bournemouth are unbeaten in the last 5 meetings (W2, D3).
- Away record: Nottingham Forest have failed to win any of their last 3 away matches to Bournemouth.
- Current form: The Cherries are flying high with 5 consecutive wins in all competitions, while Forest are struggling on the road.
Bournemouth can hold the edge of an exciting matchup
The close friends Marco Rose and Oliver Glasner face off in an intriguing matchup at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday when Bournemouth play host to Nottingham Forest. The Cherries have enjoyed a great start to the Premier League 2026/2027 season and sit 7th in the table with 15 points from ten matches, but Forest are just three places below in 16th on nine points.
Recent meetings
Bournemouth have been the better of Nottingham Forest over the last few years and are unbeaten in the last five meetings (W2, D3). This fixture finished 1-1 at the Nottingham venue in the Premier League 2025/2026, and Forest haven't won on any of their last three trips to Bournemouth.
Home and away form
It would be great to say this will be a goal-fest, but the data suggests this won't be the case. Bournemouth have been very good at home in the Premier League 2026/2027 (W2, D2, L1) and have scored 1.40 goals and conceded just 0.80 per match, while Forest's away form has been average (W1, D2, L2) with 1.20 goals scored per match.
Reds can hurt Cherries on counter
Recent form
Forest are coming into the matchup on the back of mixed form and with just one win in their last five (W1, D1, L3), but the 3-1 home win over Manchester City demonstrated their ability to hurt teams on the counter.
Bournemouth are on a five-game winning streak and have a huge amount of momentum heading into the game.
Tactical approach
Rose has the Cherries playing at pace, with some verticality and intensity to their play, but also a compactness about them in the 4-2-3-1 system, which is complemented by their impressive counter-pressing. Glasner sets Forest up in a 3-4-2-1 system that has the ability to slide into a compact 5-4-1, and they also have the ability to press with ferocity and hurt teams on the break.
Ollie Watkins and Evanilson can make the difference
Players to watch
- Marcus Tavernier leads the scoring charts in the Premier League 2026/2027 with three goals in five games, and Bournemouth will look to him to give them an edge between the lines against Forest.
- Evanilson has been on a scoring streak for the hosts, netting four of their 12 goals in the last five matches, and could be worth a goal scorer bet on Saturday.
- Dan Ndoye has been Forest's main man up top with 1 goal in 5 Premier League 2026/2027 matches, but Liam Delap has provided a handful of goals in recent matches, scoring 2 of Forest's 5 goals in their last 5 matches.
Betting angle
Bournemouth are the slight favorites at 1.97, while Forest are at 3.6 and the draw is 3.5. Both teams to score at 1.67 looks live, but Bournemouth's momentum and their recent record in this matchup makes the home win the cleaner angle and the preferred choice. This should be a press-versus-press matchup, and it is likely the transition game will decide who lands the cleanest punches. Forest can hurt the hosts on the attack, but Bournemouth should have enough to win this closely contested match.
