Nottingham Forest vs Fulham: Preview, Prediction & team news as Super Eagles star in Premier League cracker

Five Super Eagles stars are set to clash when Nottingham Forest lock horns with Fulham in the English Premier League on Sunday, March 15.

Afrik-Foot reports that while Nottingham Forest have Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi as their Nigerian stars, Fulham have Samuel Chukwueze, Calvin Bassey, and Alex Iwobi.

For Nottingham Forest, their primary aim is to stay afloat in the Premier League, while Fulham are looking to finish the season on a high, and perhaps sneak into Europe. Their Super Eagles stars will be hoping to play key roles for them.

Match Preview & Team Form

There is no understating the scale of the crisis at Nottingham Forest this season. The club that finished seventh in the Premier League just last season ago have now cycled through four managers in a single campaign, a run of managerial instability rarely seen in the top flight.

Nuno Espirito Santo was the first to go, sacked on September 8 after a breakdown in his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis.

His replacement, Ange Postecoglou, lasted barely six weeks before being dismissed after failing to win any of hiseight matches in charge, the last of which was a 0-3 home thrashing by Chelsea.

Sean Dyche arrived in October on a two-year deal, steadied things briefly, then was himself shown the door on February 12 after a 0-0 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers left Forest still stranded in the bottom half.

Vítor Pereira has been in the hotseat since February 15, arriving on an 18-month deal as the club’s fourth manager of the season in what has become one of the most turbulent campaigns in recent Premier League memory.

Results under the Portuguese have been mixed at best. He opened his account in spectacular fashion, overseeing a commanding 3-0 away win at Fenerbahce in the Europa League round of 16 first leg, but domestic progress has been far harder to come by.

Forest drew 1-1 at home to Crystal Palace, lost at Leeds, and then claimed what felt like a genuinely significant point at the Etihad Stadium when they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Manchester City on March 4.

That performance, in which Elliot Anderson grabbed an equaliser to earn a draw against one of the league’s titlecontenders, hinted that Pereira might have found some of the fighting spirit the club has so badly lacked thisseason.

But another setback followed on Thursday evening, when Forest lost 0-1 to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League round of 16 first leg at a rain-soaked City Ground.

Full-time. pic.twitter.com/BwGtwVlRbE

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) March 12, 2026

The numbers surrounding that defeat told a damning story: 22 shots, an xG of 6.44 across their last four home games in all competitions, 126 touches in the opposition box over that same stretch, and just one solitary goal to show for it.

Forest are now winless in five games across all competitions and face the prospect of playing Premier League survival football less than 72 hours after a draining European contest.

On the other hand, Fulham’s 4-2-3-1 under Silva is a familiar structure built around control and movement, and that has seen them enjoy a pretty decent campaign, at least, by their standards. After a shaky start to the campaign, Silva’s side picked up the pace towards October.

Fulham currently sit 10th in the Premier League, having picked 40 points from 29 games. They have three wins from their last five games across all competitions. But they have lost their last two games against Southampton and West Ham. They do not face any danger of relegation, but they are still nursing hopes of making Europe, as they are eight points behind a Europa League spot.

Head-to-Head

The recent history between these two clubs makes for sobering reading if you are a Forest supporter. Across 24 meetings in all competitions since 2004, Fulham have come out on top on 16 occasions, with Forest winning just six and two matches ending in draws.

The goals column tells a similarly lopsided story: 49 for Fulham, 30 for Forest.
More pressingly, Forest have failed to score against Fulham in each of the last three competitive encounters between the sides, a run stretching back to December 2023 when Fulham inflicted a humiliating 5-0 defeat at Craven Cottage.

September 2024 brought a 0-1 loss at the City Ground, with Forest unable to breach the Fulham defence at home. Then came the reverse fixture in the current season, played at Craven Cottage on December 22, 2025, which Fulham won 1-0 through a Raul Jimenez penalty converted just before half-time after Douglas Luiz caught winger Kevin inside the box.

That win was Fulham’s fourth from four Premier League trips to Craven Cottage against Forest, and extended their dominance in what has become a reliable banker for Cottagers fans.

Forest’s most recent win in this fixture came back in April 2024, a 3-1 home victory that now feels like a distant memory given how dramatically the club’s fortunes have shifted since.

The overall numbers and the recent trend both point firmly in Fulham’s favour, and the added context of Forest’s current fragility makes it difficult to argue against the pattern continuing.

Team News

Vítor Pereira confirmed ahead of Thursday’s Europa League match that winger Dan Ndoye has joined goalkeeper Stefan Ortega in the treatment room.

Ortega’s absence means Matz Sels is likely to continue between the sticks, the Belgian having featured regularly before the German goalkeeper’s injury.
Chris Wood remains sidelined with a knee problem that has kept him out for a considerable chunk of the season, depriving Forest of an important physical presence up front when they can least afford to be without him.

John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly are also all unavailable through injury, leaving Pereira short of options in several key areas of the pitch.
On a more positive note, Jair Cunha was confirmed fit for the Midtjylland game and is expected to be available again here, while Douglas Luiz and Ryan Yates should both feature having played key roles in the point at the
Etihad.
For Fulham, Harry Wilson is ruled out with an ankle injury sustained earlier in March, a significant blow given that the Welsh winger has been Fulham’s most productive creative force this season.

Brazilian winger Kevin is also sidelined after undergoing foot surgery and is expected to be out for several weeks. Raul Jimenez has not scored in his last three league outings and arrives looking to rediscover the form that
made him the decisive figure in the reverse fixture, where his penalty was the only goal of the game.

With Wilson absent, either Samuel Chukwueze or Emile Smith Rowe is likely to be handed the creative burden in the attacking midfield area, while Alex Iwobi could push for a start from the flanks.

Marco Silva is expected to restore much of his first-choice lineup after the FA Cup rotation, meaning Bernd Leno starts in goal, Kenny Tete comes in at right-back and Joachim Andersen, who captains the side, resumes his
commanding role in central defence alongside Calvin Bassey.

Super Eagles Stars To watch

Five Super Eagles stars are expected to be on the rosters on matchday. Nottingham Forest have Awoniyi and Aina, but the former will likely play a peripheral role, as he is not favored by coach Pereira. In fact, he has not played an important role at the club this season.

On the other hand, Aina is the bang-on starter at right-back for the Tricky Trees, he will be expected to shine.

Run Away From Ola Aina Challenge (Impossible) pic.twitter.com/yMTIgKnA4l

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 23, 2026

For Fulham, Calvin Bassey is the main man at center-back for Fulham, and he will be expected to keep his spot. Iwobi is also a regular in the middle of the park for the Cottagers, and he will be looking to play a key role.

Finally, Samuel Chukwueze has been a revelation since his arrival from AC Milan last summer. He has contributed three goals and four assists in 15 appearances. The former Villarreal man has had some impressive performances, and he will be looking to have another next time out.

Predicted XIs:

Nottingham Forest (3-4-2-1)
Sels; Murillo, Milenković, Cunha; Williams, Yates, Douglas Luiz, Aina; Anderson, Gibbs-White; Igor Jesus
Fulham (4-2-3-1)
Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Reed, Berge; Chukwueze, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez

Betting Tips

BEST VALUE TIP: Both Teams to Score: No

Forest have failed to score in each of their last three meetings with Fulham and have created enormous shot tallies inrecent weeks without converting. With Wilson and Kevin absent for the Cottagers, both attacks carry significant question marks.

The last three encounters in this fixture have all finished with fewer than two goals combined.

ALTERNATIVE: Fulham to Win or Draw (Double Chance)

Fulham have won four of their last five competitive meetings with Forest. The Cottagers are the better-placed side in the table, better rested after the FA Cup rotation, and are arriving at a venue where Forest have won just three home league games all season. The double chance offers solid security at a reasonable price.

Morgan Gibbs-White to score anytime is also another option, as he has eight league goals this season and carries the bulk of Forest’s attacking responsibility as captain. At home, withthe pressure of a relegation battle, Gibbs-White typically elevates his game and will be determined to end his goaldrought against Fulham. The odds on offer reflect the difficulty of the task but reward handsomely if he can find the net.

Prediction

Forest may well create chances again here, but creating chances and taking them are two very different propositions, and nothing in their recent record suggests they will suddenly find the clinical edge they have been so desperately lacking.

Fulham have the quality, the head-to-head backing, the superior squad depth and the advantage of rested legs to secure another win against a side they have learned to dominate in this era.

A narrow 1-0 away victory is the likeliest outcome, following the template of recent meetings between these twosides and continuing what has become a miserable run for Forest fans whenever the Cottagers come to town.