Nottingham Forest host Tottenham in another Christmas cracker on Boxing Day – and if things carry on as they have been we should be in for some goals.
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur best bets
- Nottingham Forest to win – 13/10 with BetMGM
- Over 3.5 goals – 6/5 with Sky Bet
- Chris Wood to score any time – 6/5 with Midnite
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur odds
Find the latest match odds for Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur predictions
If there is one Premier League team that neutrals should strive to watch whenever they can, it is Tottenham Hotspur. That is not necessarily a good thing for the north Londoners.
Spurs are the most entertaining team in England’s top tier. On Thursday they beat Manchester United 4-3 in the EFL Cup quarter-finals. Three days later they went down 6-3 to Liverpool in the league. That is 16 goals in their last two matches and 28 in their last four.
Tottenham only know one way to play. Ange Postecoglou will not change his beliefs, so there is little point imploring him to do so. Yet unless the Australian introduces a degree of pragmatism to his tactics, he will struggle to succeed at Spurs.
That is not to say Postecoglou should abandon his attack-minded philosophy entirely. But it was jarring to see his team play such an open brand of football on Sunday given they were without their two first-choice centre-backs and their No.1 goalkeeper.
Tottenham made some questionable decisions during the match too. For instance, shortly after pulling a goal back to make it 2-1 to Liverpool late in the first period, it would have been wise for Spurs to drop back a few yards and see the half out.
Instead, they continued to press high up the pitch, even when the chance of winning the ball was minimal. Liverpool were then able to go 3-1 up before the interval.
It is tempting to blame the individuals involved, but it happens so often with Spurs that the players must be under instruction to do that sort of thing.
Of course, injuries are a major reason why Tottenham are struggling to get results, but their manager’s stubborn dogmatism is not helping right now. Postecoglou should not be sacked yet and most Spurs supporters are not calling for his head, but the former Celtic boss is doing himself no favours at the moment.
The next few weeks will be crucial. As well as the EFL Cup semi-final against Liverpool, Spurs have some tricky league games coming up, with Newcastle United and Arsenal among their opponents in the first half of January. This trip to Nottingham Forest will not be easy either.
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur betting tips
Can Nottingham Forest continue their march when Tottenham Hotspur come to town?
Nottingham Forest to win
Nottingham Forest fans are pinching themselves. A 2-0 victory over Brentford on Saturday means Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are in the top four of the Premier League at Christmas.
Widely tipped to be involved in a relegation battle at the beginning of the campaign, Forest are the division’s foremost surprise package of 2024/25.
Nuno’s team are well equipped to cause Tottenham problems. They thrive in transition, which is a weak point for their opponents.
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Forest will allow Tottenham the ball for long periods of Thursday’s match before attempting to pick them off on the counter-attack.
Forest are more streetwise than Spurs and that could be a decisive factor in determining the outcome at the City Ground.
Back Nottingham Forest to win at 13/10 with BetMGM
Over 3.5 goals
Twenty-eight goals in Tottenham’s last four games is a staggering number. That works out at seven per 90 minutes.
We might not get that many at the City Ground, but we like the chances of there being at least four strikes in this post-Christmas clash.
Needless to say, Tottenham will push men forward at every opportunity in a bid to outscore their opponents. Postecoglou’s side never take a step back and they will not do so here.
Nottingham Forest are a more measured outfit under Nuno, but there will be spaces in their opponents’ rearguard to exploit.
All things considered, it is hard to envisage this being a tight, cagey affair.
Tip over 3.5 goals at 6/5 with Sky Bet
Chris Wood to score any time
What a season Chris Wood is having. Back in the summer, many Nottingham Forest fans expected him to play second fiddle to Taiwo Awoniyi.
Instead, Wood is having the best campaign of his career. He has made the net bulge 10 times so far, a tally bettered by only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer.
The New Zealand international is the perfect centre-forward for this Forest team. With the likes of Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi buzzing around him, Wood is the perfect focal point for Nuno’s side.
The former Burnley frontman will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing Radu Dragusin and the 18-year-old Archie Gray.
Wood can make his mark against a Tottenham team that does not know how to keep the back door shut.
Go for Chris Wood to score any time at 6/5 with Midnite
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Location: City Ground, Nottingham, England.
- Date and time: Thursday 26th December, 3pm.
- How to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
- Premier League winner predictions
- Premier League top scorer odds
- Premier League relegation odds
- Champions League winner odds
- Championship promotion odds
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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