After taking a battering in midweek, Nottingham Forest will be hoping to bounce back with a win against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
A tough few days for Forest saw Steve Cooper's side face both Tottenham and Manchester City, with the latter beating the Reds 6-0 at the Etihad on Wednesday night. It was a difficult game against one of the best teams in the world, but Forest have strengthened their squad further since, as they made it to 21 signings this summer by the end of the window.
Willy Boly, Josh Bowler and Loic Bade all signed for the Reds on deadline day, with Bowler being sent out on loan for the remainder of the season. Bournemouth were promoted to the Premier League with Forest, and the Cherries have since sacked Scott Parker as manager, with Gary O'Neil currently in charge.
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Moussa Niakhate, Omar Richards and Orel Mangala are all set to be missing from the clash with Bournemouth with injuries. So, how could Forest fare against Bournemouth on Saturday? We simulated the game to try to find out.
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth score predicted by simulation
To run this simulation, we used FIFA 22, updating the squads with the latest transfers made in this window. Both sides lined up in their 2021/22 kits as FIFA 22 does not provide the 2022/23 ones.
We predict that Nottingham Forest will line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with the lineup looking as follows: Henderson; Worrall, Kouyate, McKenna; Williams, Yates, O'Brien, Lodi; Gibbs-White Johnson, Awoniyi.
We predict that the Cherries will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, with the lineup looking as follows: Neto; Smith, Mepham, Kelly, Zemura; Tavernier, Lerma, Cook, Christie; Moore, Solanke.
It was a tense start to the game for Forest, with Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke coming close on two occasions. But, just before the break, Cooper's side took the lead with a well-worked team goal.
Morgan Gibbs-White picked up the ball 40 yards from goal as Forest charged forward in numbers. The midfielder played a one-two with Taiwo Awoniyi just outside the box, and as Gibbs-White broke into the area, he pulled the ball across for Brennan Johnson to guide into the corner.
All one-touch passing, the goal was the perfect way for Forest to end the half. The pressure from the hosts continued in the second half, and substitute Jesse Lingard managed to make it 2-0 with 15 minutes to go as he capitalised on an error from Bournemouth.
A loose pass across the defence from Adam Smith on the halfway line was intercepted by Lingard, and the midfielder surged forward alone to go one-on-one with the 'keeper. Lingard took his time to set himself up for the shot, and the 29-year-old curled his effort into the far corner to secure the three points.
Full-time: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Bournemouth
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that despite an even contest, Forest could overcome Bournemouth with two goals and a clean sheet in an impressive performance. Dean Henderson won the player of the match award though, potentially showing how many chances Bournemouth can create and the threat Forest need to be wary of on Saturday.
What do you think the score could be on Saturday afternoon? Let us know in the comments below!
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