Nottingham Forest vs Brentford: Preview, Team News and Predicted Lineups as Tricky Trees host Bees

Nottingham Forest host Brentford in Premier League opener, both sides targeting momentum, with new signings, injuries and balanced head-to-head history.

Nottingham Forest will host Brentford at the City Ground in Nottingham for their Premier League season opener on August 17, 2025, at 4pm East Africa Time.

The match, which marks the beginning of the 2025/2026 campaign, will be officiated by Peter Bankes.

Preview

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Both teams will be eager to start their season on a positive note, with Nottingham Forest looking to leverage their home advantage against a Brentford side that has proven to be a challenging opponent in recent encounters.

As the new Premier League season begins, both Nottingham Forest and Brentford are starting fresh with zero points.

The Reds enter the campaign positioned 16th in the preliminary standings, suggesting they might face another season battling to avoid relegation.

The Bees, meanwhile, begin in 10th place, indicating expectations of a mid-table finish. This opening fixture provides both teams an opportunity to set the tone for their respective campaigns, with Forest particularly keen to establish early momentum at home to distance themselves from potential relegation concerns.

Nottingham Forest enter the new season after a disappointing pre-season campaign, failing to secure a single victory in their five warm-up matches.

The Reds registered goalless draw in three consecutive friendlies against Al Qadasiya Fiorentina and Estoril , while suffering defeats to Birmingham and Fulham.

Brentford's pre-season form has been slightly more encouraging, with one win and three draws from their recent outings.

The Bees drew with Borussia Moenchengladbach and Gil Vicente , defeated Queens Park Rangers, and finished the previous Premier League season with a draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers and a loss to Fulham . Both teams will be looking to improve as they begin the new Premier League campaign positioned 16th and 10th respectively.

Team News

Nottingham Forest head into the game without Anthony Elanga, who has departed, but they can still rely on Morgan Gibbs-White.

New additions Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town and James McAtee from Manchester City are set to bolster the squad. Swiss winger Dan Ndoye – scorer of the winning goal in May’s Coppa Italia final – is expected to start on Sunday, supporting either last season’s top scorer Chris Wood or new Brazilian striker Igor Jesus.

Midfielder Nicolas Dominguez remains sidelined with a knee injury, but Nuno Espírito Santo has no other fitness concerns.Brentford, meanwhile, will be without Vitaly Janelt, while Kevin Schade and new goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher face late fitness tests.

Bryan Mbeumo has already departed, and Yoane Wissa is unavailable as he seeks a move away. On a positive note, Igor Thiago is eager to make an impact after missing much of last season with injury.

Fabio Carvalho is pushing for a start after scoring in last week’s friendly draw with Borussia Monchengladbach. The Bees have also sealed a club-record move for Bournemouth forward Dango Ouattara. In midfield, Jordan Henderson is expected to make his debut as the long-term replacement for former captain Christian Norgaard, while 20-year-old Antoni Milambo could feature competitively for the first time since joining from Feyenoord.

Head to Head

The recent history between these two sides has been closely contested, with each team securing two victories in their last five Premier League encounters.

Brentford claimed a convincing win in their most recent meeting at the City Ground on May 1, 2025, when Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa scored to secure a 2:0 victory for the visitors.

However, Nottingham Forest had previously triumphed at the Gtech Community Stadium with a 2:0 win on December 21, 2024, thanks to goals from Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga.

Their earlier clash in January 2024 produced an entertaining 3:2 victory for Brentford, with Ivan Toney, Ben Mee, and Neal Maupay scoring for the Bees, while Danilo and Chris Wood found the net for Forest. The teams also played out a 1:1 draw at the City Ground in October 2023, highlighting the competitive nature of this fixture.

Predicted Lineups

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Sels; Cunha, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

Brentford (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Henry; Jensen, Henderson; Carvalho, Damsgaard, Lewis-Potter; Thiago