Brighton vs Nottingham Forest: Tips, Odds, and Match Preview

Brighton and Nottingham Forest will collide on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the 2024-25 FA Cup with one clear goal in mind – securing a positive result to sneak into the tournament’s semifinals. Both teams have had an impressive season thus far, and knowing neither has a realistic shot at winning the Premier League, winning this tournament represents their lone chance to win some silverware before the end of the campaign.

The Seagulls have reached this stage of the tournament by getting past Newcastle United in the previous round, and they’re in an impressive run of form with seven straight matches without a loss (90 min: W5, D2). Meanwhile, Newcastle have even more confidence to keep their Cup run alive, as they recently won the Carabao Cup title and aim to secure two trophies in the same season.

Brighton Looking for Revenge

Brighton have been performing well this season and have shown the ability to compete with some of the best teams in the Premier League throughout the campaign, with the latest example being the 2-2 draw against Manchester City before the international break.

However, this is going to be a special game for Fabian Hürzeler’s team, as they suffered a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest the last time these two sides met back in February this year. One thing that has remained consistent every time these two sides collide is the fact that there have been lots of goals scored, with four of the last five H2H meetings featuring over 2.5 total goals.

Brighton Injury & Suspension News

The Seagulls are waiting to see whether Lewis Dunk (ribs), Matt O’Riley (knee) and Solomon March (undisclosed) will be available to feature on Saturday. Meanwhile, the list of absentees includes Joel Veltman (undisclosed), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe), Tariq Lamptey (ankle), Jason Steele (shoulder), James Milner (hamstring) and Igor Julio (hamstring).

Trick Trees Aiming to Keep Their Winning Streak Alive

Nottingham Forest haven’t tasted defeat in their last four competitive matches (W3, D1), with the most recent loss coming on the road against Newcastle United in a thrilling 4-3 encounter at St. James’ Park on February 23. Since then, though, Forest have gone to remain undefeated in their last four matches (W3, D1), including securing three wins in a row.

Two of those wins came against Ipswich Town, though, a strong candidate to get relegated at the end of the campaign, and the other victory was a shocking upset against Manchester City. Knowing the FA Cup is the club’s lone chance to capture some silverware before the end of the campaign, there’s no question this game will be a priority for Forest in what can only be described as the club’s most successful Premier League season in the last few decades.

Nottingham Forest Injury & Suspension News

Nottingham Forest won’t have a lot of absences, but they’re going to be missing a key player in Chris Wood, with the New Zealand striker being sidelined due to a hip problem. The rest of their core squad should be available for this matchup.

Brighton vs Nottingham Forest Prediction

This is going to be a back-and-forth match, and although both teams will be missing key players, Nottingham should have a slight edge, mainly based on the fact they’ve been the better team in the majority of the recent meetings while also having fewer injury concerns than their rivals. Thus, I’m leaning towards a Nottingham Forest win for this match.

CryptoGamba tip: Nottingham Forest to Qualify – 2.80 @ Stake