Burnley and Nottingham Forest face off on Saturday as their managers are eager to arrest their recent slump, with either team likely to benefit from a big win.

The Turf Moor crowd left the stadium disappointed last Sunday despite a valiant effort from their players against Liverpool. Despite being the underdogs against the Premier League champions, Burnley put in a defensive shift to keep the Merseysiders at bay for as long as they did; the home fans will demand a similar performance against Nottingham Forest this weekend.

Many believe they could have held on to a point had it not been for Hannibal Bejbri’s blatant handball right at the death that forced a penalty. Mohamed Salah made no mistake from the spot to snatch all three points for Liverpool, which marked another late winner for the club.

As for Burnley, manager Scott Parker will be eager to arrest their recent slump and record a much-needed win to boost their chances. They now face a Nottingham Forest side, who are yet to stabilise themselves under a new manager, as Parker might feel this might be the ideal time to take on the Tricky Trees.

Ange Postecoglou commented following last Saturday’s loss to Arsenal that it will not take months for this team to stabilise, but rather it will be done on Wednesday. That day was the date for Nottingham Forest’s EFL Cup tie with Swansea City, which did not go as planned.

Despite Forest taking an unassailable two-goal lead, Swansea fought back and scored two goals in injury time to knock Postecoglou’s side out of the competition. This was another blow, and certainly a result that will lead to questions towards the club owner on whether he made the right call to replace Nuno Espirito Santo with the Australian.

It could be a case of players taking their time to adapt to the new methods implemented by Postecoglou compared to Espirito Santo. The trip to Turf Moor will be a big test of character for the Australian, as another bad result could bring pressure on Postecoglou so early in his reign.

Team News & Tactics

Burnley

Parker must make do without Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and Zeki Amdouni for this clash owing to their ongoing injury issues. Jacob Brunn Larsen is also a doubt following the recent international break, but he’s thought to be much closer to making the cut, at least in the matchday squad.

Lesley Uguchukwu will serve a one-match suspension following his sending off against Liverpool, which could see Josh Cullen come into the midfield setup alongside Josh Laurent. Should Larsen turn up fit, as is the expectation, he will feature in the attacking setup, although Loum Tchaouna should deputise for the Icelandic star if he’s not fit.

Mejbri, culpable of handing Liverpool a penalty late on, could come into the starting lineup as Parker will tweak his system to a more balanced one. Lyle Foster will lead the line with the hard-working Jaidon Anthony completing the attacking setup from his role on the left-hand side.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Cullen, Laurent; Tchaouna, Mejbri, Anthony; Foster

Nottingham Forest

Ola Aina and Nicolas Dominguez are the only absentees in this Forest squad due to injuries. On the positive side, Murillo could feature as his injury sustained against Arsenal is not thought to be serious enough to keep him out for a longer period.

Postecoglou could revert to the same backline that started against Arsenal, which could see Neco Williams feature at right-back with Morato on the left-back slot. There will be some focus on Postecoglou’s midfield selection with calls to start Douglas Luiz, but following the midweek showing, the manager could revert to using Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson there.

Similarly, Postecoflou could resist the temptation of starting with two-goal star Igor Jesus in his front line, with Chris Wood likely to lead the line, with those around him in the attacking third likely to be unchanged.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato; Anderson, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

Key Stats

• Burnley have lost six of their last seven matches in the Premier League.
• Burnley have lost three of their last four games this season in the Premier League.
• Ange Postecoglou is yet to register his first win as Nottingham Forest’s manager.
• Nottingham Forest won during their last trip to Turf Moor on the final day of the 2023-24 campaign.

Player to Watch

Chris Wood

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The striker has been a bit quiet after a stellar start to the new campaign, which saw him score a brace against Brentford. Unlike last season, when the striker made himself the undisputed starting No.9 at Forest, he has plenty of competition behind now, including two-goal star Jesus.

The pressure from the likes of Jesus could potentially have a big effect on Wood and probably even his starting spot. Hence, the New Zealand international must perform at his best levels against Burnley to continue making a mark on proceedings and keep his spot safe.

Prediction

Burney 1-2 Nottingham Forest

Burnley have not had much luck winning games so far this season, but they have put in some courageous performances against some of the challenging sides. However, Parker will be under pressure to deliver a win against Forest, for which his tactics might change, which might hurt their ability to get a result.

As for Nottingham Forest, it feels like a matter of time before the players adapt to Postecoglou’s methods and get going with results. They might have a chance to do that against Burnley, as they could get away with a narrow win at Turf Moor and kick-start the Australians’ reign at the club in a positive way.