Few teams are feeling 100% confident going into the New Year. The January transfer window looms, and the halfway point of the season brings a lot of pondering. Both Everton and Nottingham Forest are in the bottom half of the table and have to think hard about their aspirations for the rest of the season. But, first things first, they have a Tuesday match to settle.
Nottingham Forest is a +115 favorite on the moneyline for this contest on DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s dive into a preview, prediction and pick for this Nottingham Forest vs. Everton fixture.
Nottingham Forest vs. Everton Prediction, Pick
It’s a strange time for Nottingham Forest. With 18 points out of 18 matches, they’re sitting in 17th place, only five points ahead of relegation. They’ve already sacked one manager and are counting on former Everton manager Sean Dyche to right the ship. But injuries and ineffectiveness have threatened to derail those hopes, making for an interesting January window. Forest have been highly active in the transfer market since their 2022 promotion, and if there’s a sensible move out there, they’re going to make it. A project this fragile may not survive a relegation.
Everton is largely set in their squad, but that may be the issue. They’ve been managing Jarrad Branthwaite’s injury all year long, but the loss of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is tough. The box-to-box midfield star has been crucial to a promising start to the season, and spending the next few weeks without him is going to be challenging. On top of that, they’ve lost two regular starters (Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye) to AFCON duties. It leaves David Moyes’ squad threadbare; that lack of punch was on display in a nil-nil draw to Burnley their last time out.
There’s little punch left in these two teams, but Nottingham Forest have a couple of danger men. Everton doesn’t have scoring potential with Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall out of the lineup. Despite being lower in the table, Forest are the favorites for a reason, and will deliver the win.
