Premier League,
Round 3
Nottingham Forest
NOT
Tottenham
TOT
-
Venue
- City Ground
-
Referee
- C. Pawson
Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Premier League preview
The third time could be the charm for either Nottingham Forest or Tottenham when the two winless Premier League clubs meet at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Forest picked up their first point of the season with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool last weekend, while Tottenham’s difficult start continued with a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle.
It has been a miserable start to life under Roberto De Zerbi for Tottenham, who are still searching for their first Premier League points of the season.
Spurs followed a 3-0 defeat to Brentford on the opening weekend with another loss against Newcastle, leaving them with two defeats from two matches and no goals scored.
There were some signs of improvement against Newcastle, but Tottenham were unable to turn their possession and attacking pressure into goals before Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa eventually settled the contest.
The result means Spurs have conceded five goals across their opening two league games, leaving them in the Premier League relegation zone already.
The Tricky Trees were beaten twice by Leeds at the City Ground earlier this season, in the Premier League and EFL Cup, but they showed plenty of character at Anfield last weekend.
Forest’s home record is another concern, though. They have won just one of their last 12 Premier League matches at the City Ground, with that victory coming against Burnley in April.
Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Premier League team news
Tottenham completed two deals on transfer deadline day, bringing Mykhaylo Mudryk in on loan from Chelsea and signing Tosin Adarabioyo on a permanent basis.
Both players are eligible to make their debuts at the City Ground.
Savio could also return after recovering from a muscle problem, while James Maddison is nearing a return from his shoulder injury.
Mohammed Kudus made his first appearance since January when he came off the bench against Newcastle, but De Zerbi may decide against handing him a start so soon after his lengthy absence.
Forest also added to their squad late in the transfer window, with former Crystal Palace defender Daniel Munoz joining the club at the end of August.
The Colombian could go straight into the starting XI at right wing-back despite recently undergoing surgery on his nose.
Ola Aina could therefore drop to the bench, while Nicolo Savona remains unavailable with a knee injury.
Ibrahim Sangare is also a doubt due to a calf problem, although the midfielder has returned to training and could be assessed before kick-off.
Nottingham Forest v Tottenham predicted line ups
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Milenkovic, Cunha, Murillo; Munoz, Schlager, McAtee, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Jesus
Tottenham Hotspur: Kinsky; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Udogie; Tonali, Bentancur; Savio, Fernandes, Tel; Marmoush
Forest v Spurs stats, Premier League form
- Forest could win five league games in a row against Spurs for the first time, having lost this game at the City Ground 2-0 in 2022/23 and 2023/24
- Since then, Forest have beaten Spurs at home 1-0 in 2024/25 and 3-0 in 2025/26, although their only victory in their last 12 Premier League home games overall (D7 L4) was a 4-1 win over Burnley in April
- Should Forest lose, this will be the first time since 1924/25 they have lost their first two home games in a top-flight campaign
- Oliver Glasner went 12 Premier League games unbeaten with Crystal Palace between April and September 2025, but only Scott Parker (18) has lost more Premier League games than the Austrian (16) since October
- Only Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (22) has been directly involved in more Premier League goals in 2026 than Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White (17 – 13 goals, 4 assists), with the midfielder’s 13 goals the most in the competition so far this year
- Spurs could lose each of their first three league games for a fifth campaign, following 1912/13, 1958/59, 1974/75 and 1979/80
- They are one of three teams without a Premier League goal in 2026/27, alongside Aston Villa and Coventry City
- Tottenham haven’t gone three league games without a goal since November 2021, while only in 1974/75 have they failed to score in their opening three in a league season
- Dominic Solanke has been involved in six goals in four league appearances against Forest at the City Ground (4 goals, 2 assists), including his only senior career hat-trick to date (for Bournemouth in December 2023)
- Igor Jesus has applied 135 high-intensity pressures to opponents in the Premier League this season, with only Hull’s Oliver McBurnie (164) making more
- The forward ranks top for duels won (21) and aerial duels won (16) in the competition so far this campaign, while only Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur (6) has committed more fouls (5) than Jesus
Where to watch Forest v Spurs: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Saturday is at 15:00 BST (10:00 ET / 07:00 PT). This match is not being shown live in the UK.
Here’s the full list of Premier League international broadcasters.
Forest v Tottenham Premier League prediction
Match Prediction
Nottingham Forest
Tottenham
Neither side has made the start they would have wanted, although Forest showed at Anfield that they have enough attacking quality to cause problems against a vulnerable Tottenham defence.
Spurs looked better against Newcastle than they did in their opening defeat to Brentford, but their inability to score remains a major concern.
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