Nottingham Forest vs Everton is certainly another clash that will throw up some twists and turns in the Premier League’s festive period.
The much-anticipated Sean Dyche Derby is among us as the Forest boss leads his men into battle against one of his former sides in Everton.
Forest are only five points above the Premier League relegation zone and could do with all the points they can get, especially after putting in good performances against Fulham and Manchester City, but coming away with no points from the two games.
Everton are also experiencing a blip of their own, but they are seven points clear of the Reds and 12 points clear of the drop zone even after going three games without a win.
With both sides looking to get back to winning ways after a miserable Christmas period, three points will be pivotal for either side in turning their fortunes just before the New Year.
Nottingham Forest vs Everton: Team News
The hosts of the Nottingham Forest vs Everton clash will be without defender Willy Boly and midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, as the duo are participating in the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
Ola Aina and Ryan Yates are also set to be missing due to hamstring injuries with striker Chris Wood also out of action as he was seen at the City Ground wearing a supportive brace on his knee last time out when the Reds face Manchester City.
Summer signing Dan Ndoye is another player that Forest have on the treatment table, but the winger is progressing and might have a slim chance to feature in this one.
Meanwhile, Everton have a host of hamstring problems of their own, as defenders Jarrad Branthwaite and Seamus Coleman alongside midfielder and the club’s joint top scorer Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, all carry this issue.
Jack Grealish is likely to miss this clash due to illness with Idrissa Gana Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Two Sides In Stuttering Form Ahead Of The New Year
The festive period hasn’t brought any cheer for either set of fans as Everton are without a win in their last three Premier League games, whilst Forest are winless from their last two.
Everton did, however, pick up a much-needed point in their last fixture as they battled to a 0-0 draw against newly-promoted Burnley.
The Toffees’ last wins came at the start of December as they started the month in fine fashion with a 1-0 win against Bournemouth and a 3-0 victory over Forest at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Dyche’s side continue to improve week on week as they were unfortunate not to pick up anything from their last two games against Fulham and Manchester City as they lost 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.
Before these losses, Forest won four out of six games in the Premier League and the Europa League as they claimed wins against Malmo, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Utrecht and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Trentside club look to return back to their best with Dyche in charge after a turbulent few months with managerial changes and with them languishing near the Premier League relegation zone.
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Head-to-Head
Since their promotion back into the Premier League, Forest have only been able to beat Everton once, in December last year as the Reds ran out 2-0 winners.
However, the Toffees have won four of the last seven encounters against the Nottinghamshire outfit and head into this game as the favourites if you take into account the Premier League head-to-head since Forest’s promotion from the Championship in 2022.
In addition to that, Nottingham Forest have one of the poorer home records in the top-flight, picking up just 10 points from nine home matches so far this season.
Meanwhile, Everton have a solid away record so far this term as they sit ninth in the Premier League table on away form with 11 points from nine matches.
Both sides are aiming to end 2025 on a high as this clash is set to be another fiesty affair between a side looking to escape the Premier League relegation zone dogfight and a side looking to pull themselves into the top six picture if they come out victorious in the Nottingham Forest vs Everton fixture.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Recording Date: 27.12.2025
