Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction: Portman Road hosts a huge Premier League relegation battle on Friday night, with kick-off at 20:00 WAT on Matchday 8. Ipswich Town, who have won two of their last three home games, welcome a Nottingham Forest side in deep trouble — five points from seven games, on a three-match losing streak, and with the fewest goals scored in the division (5).
The history adds real spice to this Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction: Forest have won four of the last five meetings (futbol24), yet they have lost only once in their last four league visits to Portman Road since November 2016 (sportytrader). Forest were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal last weekend — read our Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal match preview for the full lowdown on their latest defeat. Ipswich have goals in them, and this could be the night they punish a side that has forgotten how to score.
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest Match Preview
Friday night football under the lights at Portman Road brings together two sides with very different moods. Gary O’Neil’s Ipswich pushed Manchester City all the way in a 3-2 defeat last time out, while Forest’s miserable run continued with a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal. For more on the likely line-ups and team news, see Sports Mole’s Ipswich vs Nott’m Forest preview. Our Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction is outlined in full below. A win would lift Ipswich further clear of trouble; defeat would plunge Forest deeper into crisis. Read on for the complete Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction, with team news, predicted lineups and our best betting tips.
Team Recent Form
Ipswich Town (W-L-L-W-L) — 10th in the Premier League, nine points:
- 12 Sep: Crystal Palace 2-3 Ipswich (Premier League)
- 15 Sep: Ipswich 2-4 Arsenal (League Cup)
- 19 Sep: Everton 1-0 Ipswich (Premier League)
- 10 Oct: Ipswich 2-1 Fulham (Premier League)
- 17 Oct: Man City 3-2 Ipswich (Premier League)
Nottingham Forest (D-W-L-L-L) — five points from seven games (position disputed across sources):
- 5 Sep: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Tottenham (Premier League)
- 12 Sep: Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
- 19 Sep: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Coventry (Premier League)
- 11 Oct: Crystal Palace 3-1 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
- 18 Oct: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Arsenal (Premier League)
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League this season — just five.
- Ipswich Town are the fifth-highest scorers in the Premier League (sportytrader).
- Forest have won four of the last five meetings, but they have lost only one of their last four league visits to Portman Road since November 2016 (sportytrader).
2-1 — Ipswich’s home firepower against a Forest side that has forgotten how to score; Forest’s strong record at Portman Road keeps it close. Our Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction is an Ipswich Town win. This Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction banks on the hosts’ home scoring record proving too much for the league’s bluntest attack.
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest H2H
- 15 Mar 2025 — Ipswich Town 2-4 Nottingham Forest (Premier League, Portman Road)
- 3 Mar 2025 — Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ipswich Town (FA Cup, City Ground)
- 30 Nov 2024 — Nottingham Forest 1-0 Ipswich Town (Premier League, City Ground)
- Forest have won four of the last five encounters (futbol24).
Pre Game Odds
The bookmakers make Forest slight favorites, but our Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction still leans toward the home side at a tempting price:
- Ipswich Town win — 3.31 (1xBet, via sportytrader); footballwhispers has Ipswich at 9/4 (3.25).
- Draw — 3.57 (1xBet, via sportytrader).
- Nottingham Forest win — 2.31 (1xBet, via sportytrader); footballwhispers has Forest at 6/5 (2.20).
Team News Ipswich Town
Jack Taylor is OUT with a knee injury. Sasa Lukic is a DOUBT with a groin issue, though O’Neil expects him to be available on Friday. Issahaku Fatawu is AVAILABLE after serving his ban — note that some sources (squawka) still list him as suspended, but that looks stale. O’Neil says his squad is close to full strength.
Team News Nottingham Forest
Igor Jesus is OUT with a calf injury and Nicolo Savona is OUT with a knee injury. Morgan Gibbs-White is a DOUBT with a muscular problem, though there is hope he can feature. Nikola Milenkovic is also a DOUBT — sources conflict on the injury itself, with freetips reporting a hamstring issue and thefootballfaithful reporting a knee problem.
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest Prediction: Possible Line-ups
Ipswich Town possible line-up (3-4-2-1, via Sports Mole): Walton; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves; Ouattara, Florentino, Palacios, Davis; Maeda, Emersonn, Enciso. Source conflicts: RotoWire has Lukic in for Florentino, Khel Now prefers Flemming to Emersonn, while freetips goes with an outlier 4-2-3-1 that includes Fatawu.
Nottingham Forest possible line-up (3-4-2-1, via Sports Mole): Sels; Cunha, Diomande, Murillo; Munoz, McAtee, Schlager, N. Williams; Gibbs-White, Delap, Ndoye. Khel Now notes Dominguez could replace Gibbs-White if he does not recover in time.
These selections shape our Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction — O’Neil’s settled attack against a Forest defense missing key men.
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest Betting Tips
Here are our three Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction betting tips:
Tip 1 – Result: Ipswich Town win. The hosts have won two of their last three at home and scored freely against both Fulham and Manchester City, while Forest have lost three on the bounce.
Tip 2 – Over-Under 2.5: Over 2.5 goals. Four of the last five meetings produced three or more goals, and Ipswich are the fifth-highest scorers in the division.
Tip 3 – BTTS Yes-No: Yes. Ipswich score for fun at home but have conceded in all of their last five games, while Forest have found the net in two of their last five.
That is our final Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction for Friday night: an Ipswich Town win in a 2-1 thriller, with over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring. If you are following this Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction, check the confirmed lineups an hour before the 20:00 WAT kick-off.
