Forest vs Spurs Prediction: Betting Tips & Odds

Nottingham Forest and Tottenham meet at the City Ground on Sunday morning New Zealand time, with both sides desperate for a result after underwhelming starts to the 2026-27 season. Forest have a point from two games under new boss Oliver Glasner. Spurs have none under Roberto De Zerbi, despite spending over £300 million in the summer window.

In this Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham preview, I look at both squads and what I expect from a fixture Forest have dominated recently.

I’ve got a BTTS angle at a price I’m happy with for those checking football tips this week.

Nottingham Forest

Forest should be better off than they are. Against Leeds on the opening day, they had the higher xG and still lost to a late Anton Stach free kick. Nikola Milenkovic rattled the post. Igor Jesus wasted two headers.

Anfield was different.

Dan Ndoye scored first, Morgan Gibbs-White converted a penalty to put them 2-1 up, and their xG of 2.30 outstripped Liverpool’s 1.61. They’ll feel they should’ve won that one too.

For me, their point from two games undersells how they’ve performed.

Glasner’s system is starting to resemble what he did at Crystal Palace. I see a counter-attacking side here, one that’s happy to soak up pressure and punish you on the break. Gibbs-White is the creative hub and Ndoye gives them pace out wide.

Team News: Savona and Sangaré are out injured.

Predicted Lineup: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Dominguez, Schlager; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, McAtee; Jesus.

Tottenham

Zero goals in two Premier League games. Five conceded.

I expected growing pains under De Zerbi, but not this bad. Brentford took them apart on the opening day - 3-0 before they knew what had happened. Antonin Kinsky was poor for two of those goals and their defence looked disorganised from the first whistle.

Newcastle was marginally better. Spurs had 17 shots and 1.04 xG but couldn’t put the ball in the net. Omar Marmoush looked lively on his debut, but Elanga and Wissa punished them on the counter and it finished 0-2 at home.

The squad has too many new faces learning a new system at once.

Sandro Tonali switched off for Elanga’s opener against Newcastle. That’s a £100 million midfielder drifting out of a game at a crucial moment. It sums up where Spurs are right now.

Savinho’s absence against Newcastle was a blow. De Zerbi will be hoping to have him back this week, along with potentially Kudus.

Team News: Simons is a long-term absentee. Kulusevski is close to a return but unlikely to start. Maddison is a doubt with a shoulder problem. Savinho could return from muscle fatigue. Kudus is nearing full fitness.

Predicted Lineup: Kinsky; Porro, van Hecke, Senesi, Robertson; Tonali, Fernandes; Savinho, Gray, Marmoush; Tel.

• Forest have won the last four Premier League meetings between these sides.
• Spurs haven’t scored a Premier League goal this season after two games.
• Forest outperformed Liverpool on xG (2.30 to 1.61) and twice led at Anfield in a 2-2 draw.
• Spurs have lost their opening two games of a league season without scoring for the first time since 1974-75.
• Both teams scored in three of the last four league meetings at the City Ground.

I’m tipping Forest here.

Four straight league wins over Spurs is a pattern that’s hard to ignore, and I don’t see anything from these opening weeks to suggest it changes here.

Spurs look fragile. Their back four has been together for all of two competitive matches, and Kinsky doesn’t inspire confidence right now. Zero goals from open play in the league weighs on a squad’s mentality, no matter how much you’ve spent.

Forest are ticking along without flashy results, but their underlying numbers at Anfield told me they’re playing good football. Glasner has this team well-organised, and I’d back them to nick it at home. 1-0 or 2-1 feels about right for me.

If you’re tracking this through the NZ betting apps, Forest at $2.50 is where I’d start.

Both Teams to Score @ $1.80

I’ve backed Forest, but I’m not confident they’ll shut Spurs out. De Zerbi’s front line has enough individual quality to find a goal eventually. Marmoush tested the keeper from distance against Newcastle. Savinho was electric in the Cup game against Charlton.

Forest’s defence has conceded in both league games this season. Spurs have shipped five goals in two without scoring themselves - pressure that should force them forward here and open up space.

At $1.80, it’s a price I’m happy to take on the best legal betting sites in New Zealand.