Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest Prediction 24 April 2026
🔊 Matchday 34 of the Premier League at the Stadium of Light will see teams on contrasting trajectories. Sunderland are comfortably wrapping up their season and can even dare to dream of securing a spot in European competitions. Nottingham, on the other hand, are facing a real headache. The Forest are stuck in the relegation mire, and every point dropped threatens disaster. Formally, it's a clash between a mid-table team and a relegation struggler, but in reality, it's a meeting of two evenly matched sides, as reflected by the odds.
Head-to-Head
📊 In the first round of the current season, Sunderland secured a narrow 1-0 victory at the City Ground, with defender Omar Alderete scoring the only goal. Delving too deeply into the history of this matchup might not be necessary given how infrequently these teams face each other. However, for a fuller picture, it's worth noting that the Black Cats have won 6 of their last 7 head-to-head encounters.
Head-to-head statistics Sunderland - Nottingham Forest
Sunderland Team Overview
Sunderland have comfortably settled in the middle of the table. The team currently sit in 11th place with 46 points, leading the relegation zone by 15 points. For a club that has returned to the top flight, this season can be considered a success-their primary goal of securing their top-tier status is virtually achieved ahead of schedule. However, Régis Le Bris' squad harbors greater ambitions; they are just three points away from a European competition spot.
Nonetheless, the Black Cats saw their unbeaten streak come to an end in the last round. This happened away at Aston Villa (3-4). Criticizing Sunderland's players for such a result against a Europa League semifinalist would be odd, especially considering the flow of the game. The team staged a comeback in the final minutes and could have even snatched a victory, showcasing their resilient character. However, based on what we witnessed on the pitch, their opponents were evidently superior. This is reflected in the disparity in dangerous chances-7 to 3 against Le Bris' side.
Match Results: Sunderland
Nottingham Forest Team Overview
The "Foresters" are teetering on the edge of the abyss. They currently sit in 16th place with 36 points, just five points ahead of Tottenham, who are in the relegation zone. Vitor Pereira, the fourth manager for Forest in this tumultuous season, has been tasked with maintaining their Premier League status at all costs. While he's managing to keep them afloat, the threat of relegation still looms large, especially with their progression to the Europa League semifinals.
In the recent Premier League round, the Foresters secured a comeback victory over Burnley (4-1) on home turf. After conceding an early goal, Morgan Gibbs-White put on a masterclass, netting a hat-trick in just 15 minutes, with Igor Jesus adding a fourth. The team exceeded expectations, considering their xG was only 1.38, but demonstrated their ability to turn the tide when backed against the wall-a trait that is invaluable.
Match Results: Nottingham Forest
Latest news
Sunderland
🎙 Regis Le Bris on Sunderland's ambitions in a recent interview: "Yes, after the match against Leeds, having reached the 40-point mark, we talked about what the future could hold because we always need targets. Collective goals, individual aims, and daily standards. For the club, it's clear: the owner, the sporting director - they all want to consistently be in the Premier League's top 10. That's their vision, and I share it. And if you consistently stay in that part of the table for a year or two, you can get a bit closer to the top 6. So we're doing well, and this season, it's probably achievable. Is it early? Yes, maybe. But when it's possible, you have to try to seize such an opportunity."
❌ The squad situation for the hosts is stable. Romain Mandl, Bertrand Traore, and Joselin Ta Bi remain sidelined. The good news: Dan Ballard and Nilson Angulo have returned to full training and may feature on the pitch. The rest of the key players are also fit.
Nottingham Forest
🎙 Vitor Pereira on the mindset after the victory over Burnley: “If we start thinking that three points are enough, it will be a big mistake. We need to maintain our focus and keep collecting points everywhere. The discussion we had today was about how a season that seems bad can ultimately turn out to be fantastic. If we believe internally that we can achieve this, anything can happen.”
❌ The visitors are facing an unfortunate squad situation. Callum Hudson-Odoi is out for the season following hip surgery, a fresh and significant blow to the Forest attack. Defender Nicolo Savona is also likely sidelined for the rest of the season. Murillo picked up a knock against Burnley, but the severity is still unknown. Jon Victor, Ryan Yates, and Willy Boly are also on the injury list.
🟨 Yellow Card Prediction
The match will be officiated by Darren England, one of the league's strictest referees, averaging 4.3 cautions per game. For Forest, battling for survival, every challenge will be on the brink of a foul, and the pressure from the Stadium of Light crowd will only heighten the intensity. In their first-round encounter, both teams collectively received six yellow cards. While it's possible to see a similar scenario, a more grounded betting option would be over 3.5 yellow cards.
⚽ Goals Prediction
The Foresters consistently struggle against Sunderland, especially away. They haven't scored more than two goals in their last five visits to the Stadium of Light. Despite their recent thrashing in the last round, there are significant doubts that Vitor Pereira's side can break this unfortunate trend, as the Black Cats have been defensively solid at home, conceding more than one goal in only 1 of their last 9 matches. Therefore, we predict Nottingham under 1.5 goals.
🚩 Corner Prediction
At home, Sunderland averages just 3.69 corners per game, while Forest averages 4.44 on the road. The teams' averages suggest that we shouldn't expect a flurry of corner kicks. Moreover, almost all available trends point towards lower numbers. Thus, we opt for under 10.5 corners, a bet that has hit in 6 of Sunderland's last 7 home games and in 7 of Forest's last 8 Premier League matches.
🚀 Player Stat Bet
Morgan Gibbs-White is pushing for a spot in England's World Cup squad and is playing the best football of his career, having scored six goals this spring. After netting a hat-trick against Burnley, the Forest captain is in blistering form. He took five shots in his last match and will be the main threat to the Black Cats' defense. The odds for Morgan Gibbs-White to have at least one shot on target are 1.65*.
😱 Risky Bet
There's still a feeling that this match could be just as, if not more, card-heavy than their first-round meeting. With so much at stake for both teams and a referee not known for sparing cards, if the game turns into a tense battle and Darren England maintains his strict style, the total number of cautions could exceed 5.5. The odds for this are around 3.60*.
👀 If the Match Doesn't Go as Planned
It's not hard to envision a scenario where Vitor Pereira gets his tactics right and Forest successfully shuts down. If the visitors score and then park the bus, Sunderland might struggle to break down a packed defense. Regis Le Bris' team won't find as much space as Aston Villa allowed them last round. In such a case, the match could end with a narrow Forest victory. A compelling live bet option in this scenario is Sunderland not to score.
*Odds are approximate and may vary across different bookmakers.
Editor's Prediction
With five rounds left, the stakes are sky-high for the Forest side, as any slip-up could be costly. Sunderland, meanwhile, find themselves in a comfortable psychological zone but will aim to impress their fans at home and keep their European hopes alive. Morgan Gibbs-White is in the form of his life, and Vitor Pereira has shown he can motivate his squad for crucial matches. We anticipate a draw after a hard-fought contest, possibly ending goalless at 0-0, given the unexpected goal-fests both teams delivered in the last round. Historically, their last five head-to-heads at the Stadium of Light have seen under 2.5 goals. Thus, that’s our primary betting choice.
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Betting Tips: Sunderland - Nottingham Forest
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