Nottingham Forest 2026/27 Betting Preview

Nottingham Forest required five managers in order to finish their Premier League campaign last season, who did just enough to stay up.

The Europa League semi-finalists have now turned to Oliver Glasner to lead the charge, who will be hoping to get his new team back on track. Nathan Joyes looks at what might happen at the City Ground this season and provides his best betting angles.

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Team analysis

The 2025/26 campaign was a turbulent one for Nottingham Forest. Yet despite burning through multiple managers, Vitor Pereira’s appointment was an important one - and the former Wolves manager got his team over the line.

Evangelos Marinakis once again decided to spin the wheel and when Oliver Glasner became available, the Greek owner did everything in his power to appoint him ahead of the new campaign.

Forest have continued to invest within their squad since their promotion, which is why they have continued to make progress - whether that be in the league or in Europe. However, with no European football this time round, full focus will be on the Premier League as they look to dust themselves down and potentially return to the European scene come May.

It might not happen this season, but the East Midlands club has enough quality to be competitive against most teams. Murillo, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ibrahim Sangare and Igor Jesus are all individuals who possess the quality to win football matches - and at home, Forest can often produce their best stuff.

Like many teams, Forest will be interesting to watch with a new head coach in the dugout, but they certainly have a good core that can keep them away from the relegation zone. However, signings are needed to replace a huge outgoing if that is to be - almost - guaranteed.

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Key players

Elliot Anderson’s sale to Man City will hurt Forest, there’s no doubt about it. However, it was a deal that looked to be coming for quite some time with the 23-year-old regularly featuring for England. And while a replacement has not yet come, Forest will be looking to secure a signature or two before the window shuts.

Glasner has managed to bring in Xaver Schlager on a free transfer from Leipzig - a player who he has previously worked with - and the Austrian featured heavily in the recent World Cup. His international experience will be key over the course of the season.

I’ve mentioned him already, but if Morgan Gibbs-White doesn’t move this window that could be Forest’s best business - regardless of who comes in. The 26-year-old shone last season with 15 goals and four assists, and Glasner will know how vital he is if his squad are to take a step forward. Bayern Munich have expressed interest, showing just how highly he is thought of within the game.

Forest have looked to strengthen their defence by bringing in Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande for £40m. Alongside Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha, Forest have a really strong quartet of centre-backs available. The defensive foundations are there for Forest to build on.

Season prediction

After pushing Liverpool for the Premier League title and then battling relegation for long periods, it’s often hard to predict exactly what Forest are going to achieve heading into a new Premier League season.

However, they seem to have landed on a manager that isn’t a short term fix and has proven he has what it takes to deliver promising results at this level. Forest are 13/8 to finish in the top half of the table, who will need to outperform Newcastle, Bournemouth, Brentford and Everton, according to the betting, to achieve that.

Yet there are more question marks around Newcastle and Everton than Forest, and if they are smart with their recruitment over the next few weeks, I’d rather punt on Glasner than either the Geordies or the Toffees, and that might just be the value play here.

If Forest are to achieve that, home form will need to improve. Last season only Spurs, Wolves and Burnley performed worse than the Reds in front of their own supporters.

On the road, Forest were excellent (9th best). Their counter attacking style of play makes them a threat and if Glasner adopts similar tactics, they might cause a few more upsets on their travels once more.