Ipswich v Nottingham Forest: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

Nottingham Forest head to Ipswich on Friday night needing a win to kickstart their season. Read our preview here...

Ipswich v Nottingham Forest: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch
Premier League, Round 8
Ipswich IPS
23/10/2026 20:00
Nottingham Forest NOT
venue
Portman Road Stadium
referee
Thomas Bramall

Where to Watch Ipswich v Nottingham Forest: TV and online streams

Ipswich Town versus Nottingham Forest kicks off at 8pm BST on Friday, October 23 at Portman Road.

The match is live on Sky Sports Premier League in the UK. You can stream it on Sky Go.

Global broadcast details can be found at premierleague.com.

Preview for Ipswich v Nottingham Forest

Friday Night Football at Portman Road has the feel of a big night for Oliver Glasner. Nottingham Forest have lost three Premier League games in a row and sit 19th, and the pressure on their head coach is building fast.

Forest were defiant at the City Ground on Sunday, but Noni Madueke’s goal gave Arsenal a 1-0 win and left Glasner’s side with five points from seven games. They have scored only five league goals all season.

There’s some encouragement on the road, at least. Forest have scored in every away league game under Glasner, including two at both Anfield and Villa Park.

“The feeling is that we deserve more points but the reality is that we don’t,” said Glasner. “So far the tactical approach has been quite OK in most games, but if things don’t work, you need to do something extra or ‘not on your to do list’ to get the result.

“The results are not satisfying but I won’t change my principles in life or how I see football because this is why I’m sitting here as a Premier League manager. I was just told I am the manager with the most trophies won in the last 16, 17 months. Why is there now doubts?”

Ipswich, by contrast, have been one of the stories of the season. Gary O’Neil had big shoes to fill after replacing Kieran McKenna, but his side play with real energy and have nine points from seven games. They pushed Manchester City all the way at the Etihad on Saturday, losing 3-2 despite goals from Daizen Maeda and Zian Flemming.

Portman Road is a tough place to visit. Ipswich are unbeaten in 23 of their last 26 home games, although most of those were in the Championship, and they have scored in five of their last six matches.

The concern is at the other end. Ipswich still haven’t kept a clean sheet this season, which gives Forest hope.

The Premier League Table

Premier League 2026

England

# Team Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Pts Last 5
1 Manchester City 7 7 0 0 19 7 12 21
W W W W W
2 Arsenal 7 6 0 1 11 5 6 18
W W L W W
3 Brighton 7 5 1 1 23 5 18 16
W W W W D
4 Chelsea 7 4 1 2 17 13 4 13
W W L D L
5 Liverpool 7 3 3 1 9 8 1 12
W L W D W
6 Brentford 7 2 4 1 13 8 5 10
L D W D D
7 Leeds 7 2 4 1 9 6 3 10
D L D W D
8 Everton 7 2 4 1 8 7 1 10
L D W D D
9 Hull City 7 2 3 2 8 7 1 9
L D L D D
10 Ipswich 7 3 0 4 11 15 -4 9
L W L W L
11 Newcastle 7 2 2 3 10 14 -4 8
L L W L D
12 Aston Villa 7 2 2 3 7 11 -4 8
W D W L D
13 Manchester United 7 1 4 2 10 10 0 7
D D D L D
14 Crystal Palace 7 2 1 4 9 17 -8 7
L W D L W
15 Bournemouth 7 1 3 3 9 13 -4 6
W L L D D
16 Tottenham 7 1 3 3 6 10 -4 6
W D L D D
17 Coventry 7 2 0 5 6 14 -8 6
L W W L L
18 Fulham 7 1 2 4 7 10 -3 5
W L D D L
19 Nottingham Forest 7 1 2 4 5 9 -4 5
L L L W D
20 Sunderland 7 1 1 5 6 14 -8 4
L L L L D
  • Position 1, 2, 3, 4 : Promotion – Champions League (League phase)
  • Position 5 : Promotion – Europa League (League phase)
  • Position 18, 19, 20 : Relegation – Championship

Team News for Ipswich v Nottingham Forest

O’Neil says Ipswich are close to full strength. Saša Lukić and Jack Taylor could both return after recent injuries, but O’Neil may stick with the side that impressed against City.

For Forest, the big news is the return of Morgan Gibbs-White. He was left out against Arsenal to avoid making his muscle problem worse, and Glasner has confirmed that both he and Nikola Milenković are fit to start.

Forest are without just two players: Igor Jesus and Nicolò Savona.

Expected line-ups for Ipswich v Nottingham Forest

Ipswich: Walton; Ouattara, O’Shea, Diop, Davis; Palacios, Lukić; Maeda, Flemming, Fatawu; Emersonn

Nottingham Forest: Sels; Diomande, Milenković, Murillo; Muñoz, McAtee, Schlager, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Delap

Recent Form & Stats for Ipswich v Nottingham Forest

  • There have been 26 goals in Ipswich’s first seven Premier League games – a tally bettered only by Brighton and Chelsea
  • Ipswich have not beaten Forest since 2017
  • Forest have won five of the teams’ last six meetings
  • Forest won 4-2 on their last trip to Portman Road in March 2025
  • Forest are the lowest goalscorers in the Premier League this season with five

Recent Results : Ipswich

  • Premier League
    Manchester City MCI
    L 3 – 2 2026-10-17
    Ipswich IPS
  • Premier League
    Ipswich IPS
    W 2 – 1 2026-10-10
    Fulham FUL
  • Premier League
    Everton EVE
    L 1 – 0 2026-09-19
    Ipswich IPS
  • League Cup
    Ipswich IPS
    L 2 – 4 2026-09-15
    Arsenal ARS
  • Premier League
    Crystal Palace CRY
    W 2 – 3 2026-09-12
    Ipswich IPS

Recent Results : Nottingham Forest

  • Premier League
    Nottingham Forest NOT
    L 0 – 1 2026-10-18
    Arsenal ARS
  • Premier League
    Crystal Palace CRY
    L 3 – 1 2026-10-11
    Nottingham Forest NOT
  • Premier League
    Nottingham Forest NOT
    L 0 – 1 2026-09-19
    Coventry COV
  • Premier League
    Aston Villa AST
    W 1 – 2 2026-09-12
    Nottingham Forest NOT
  • Premier League
    Nottingham Forest NOT
    D 0 – 0 2026-09-05
    Tottenham TOT

Prediction for Ipswich v Nottingham Forest

The return of Gibbs-White should make a huge difference to a Forest side that competed well against champions Arsenal last weekend. Ipswich will make it difficult but we fancy the visitors to snatch this one.

Match Prediction

Ipswich
1 – 2
Nottingham Forest