- Palace are winless in their two home Premier League 2026/2027 games to date, taking 0 draws and 2 defeats and conceding 3.50 goals per game.
- Forest are unbeaten in 2 away games, winning 1 and drawing 1, and have scored 4 times on the road.
- The last 3 meetings have all finished level, with the most recent clash finishing 1-1 at Forest's ground in the Premier League 2025/2026.
The Eagles are flying a bit too close to the sun
Crystal Palace have been a touch shaky at home in the Premier League 2026/2027, taking 0 draws and 2 defeats from 2 matches and conceding 3.50 goals per game at Selhurst Park. Pierre Sage's side arrive here in 15th position after taking 4 points from 5 games, while Nottingham Forest are 2 places and 1 point ahead.
Sage has done a fine job at Crystal Palace since taking over on 1st July 2026, installing a shapeshifting 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 with some clever pressing triggers and rapid flank overloads which his players have performed with real pace and precision. That said, they were a touch wobbly in the opening trio of fixtures, and while they beat KKS Lech Poznan 4-0 at home in Europe, they then followed that up with a goalless draw away at Leeds United and a 0-2 defeat at home to Bristol City.
Oliver Glasner has installed a much more regimented back-three system at Forest since taking over on 6th July 2026. The Tricky Trees look compact and well-disciplined in their pressing, and they're more than willing to play through the thirds with real verticality when they get the ball back, something which Sage's men would likely find difficult to deal with.
Forest’s away form will give them a boost
The hosts are at 2.6, but Nottingham Forest are slight favourites at 2.64 and there is certainly some value in that for the away side who are unbeaten in 2 Premier League 2026/2027 away games. It looks like the draw is overpriced at 3.25 though, so we'll back BTTS at 1.75, an selection which is made a lot more attractive by the fact that this fixture has produced a draw in each of the last 3 editions.
The Eagles have scored 9 goals in their last 5 competitive matches, with the clinical Joergen Strand Larsen making them a real threat from all over the pitch with 4 goals in this period. Likewise, Tyrick Mitchell has been Palace's most reliable Premier League 2026/2027 goal scorer with 2 goals in 5. Forest are led in attack by the similarly sharp Dan Ndoye with 1 goal in 5 Premier League 2026/2027 appearances, but the supporting play of Morgan Gibbs-White is a bonus as he has 2 assists in 5.
Daichi Kamada is the most creative player in this Palace side with 3 assists in 5 Premier League 2026/2027 fixtures, while the fact that Palace have failed to win either of their last 2 home games against Nottingham Forest suggests that this is a draw waiting to happen. With Glasner and Sage as two different-minded coaches, this feels like a tight, tactical scrap and one where the wing-back battles and second-ball battles will be more important than any contest for possession.
