Ipswich vs Nottingham Forest Betting Tips & Preview

Nottingham Forest to win

Ipswich Town host Nottingham Forest in a Premier League meeting at Portman Road, and the tip here is Forest to come away with the three points. Forest's recent results haven't been pretty, but Ipswich have lost their last two outings and have shown a tendency to lose matches against sides of similar or better standing, while history between these two clubs leans heavily towards the visitors. This is backed as the most probable outcome rather than as some kind of hidden-value punt — the model has it as the single likeliest result of the three, even if it's not an overwhelming favourite's price.

Recent Form

Ipswich Town's last five fixtures have been a mixed bag with a losing finish. They beat Crystal Palace away and Fulham at home, but sandwiched in between and either side of those wins were defeats to Arsenal, Everton and, most recently, Manchester City. That's three losses from five, and the fact that two of them have come in their last two outings will do little for confidence heading into this one. There's clearly a team capable of beating sides lower down the pecking order, but anything with a bit more quality has given them trouble.

Nottingham Forest's form on paper doesn't scream confidence either — one win, one draw and three defeats in their last five. They drew with Tottenham Hotspur, beat Aston Villa, then lost to Coventry City, Crystal Palace and Arsenal in succession. That's a worrying run of three straight losses heading into this fixture, so neither side arrives with real momentum. Forest's underlying results against Villa and Spurs suggest there's enough there to get a result against a struggling Ipswich side, even if the recent scoreline column doesn't flatter them.

Head-to-Head

The head-to-head record is one-sided in Forest's favour. Across the last five meetings, Nottingham Forest have won four, including a penalty-shootout success, with the other game ending in a draw — Ipswich have not won any of the last five encounters between these clubs. Forest won the most recent meeting in March 2025, having also won the previous one on penalties earlier that same month, and they were victorious again back in November 2024. The only blemish on that run for Forest was a draw in March 2019, with their most recent defeat to Ipswich in this fixture not featured in the data at all. That's a clear historical trend favouring the visitors.

Team News

Ipswich Town have one notable absence, with Ashley Young out since late January with a hip flexor problem, a long-term issue that has kept him sidelined for some time. There are no further unavailable players listed for the home side beyond that.

Nottingham Forest have two players missing. Igor Jesus is out with a calf injury picked up in October, while Willy Boly remains sidelined with a knee injury that has kept him out since February. Both absences are worth bearing in mind, though neither side's team news looks severe enough on the data available to be decisive in shaping the outcome of this one.