After guiding Bournemouth to an inspired 12th-place finish in his debut Premier League campaign, what will Andoni Iraola do for an encore this season, beginning with the Cherries’ visit to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest on the opening day?
WATCH NOTTINGHAM FOREST vs BOURNEMOUTH LIVE
Whatever he (and they) do, it will be done without the help of star striker Dominic Solanke, who last season scored 19 PL goals (4th-most) and that earned him a club-record (for both sides) $84-million transfer to Tottenham this summer. For Bournemouth’s record points haul, Iraola was duly rewarded with a new two-year contract in the spring.
Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo is back for his first full season at Nottingham Forest after replacing Steve Cooper in December. At the time, Forest sat 17th in the table with 14 points from 17 games (0.82 per game). 22 points from 21 games (1.05) was Nuno’s haul, before a four-point deduction was handed down.
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth, stream link and start time
Kick off: 10 am ET, Saturday (August 17)
Stadium: City Ground
Online: Watch live on Peacock
Nottingham Forest team news, focus
No injuries to report.
The Tricky Trees have once again been active in the transfer market, making five first-team signings already, including something of a coup in Serbian center back Nikola Milenkovic (56 caps) from Fiorentina. A large part of Forest’s spine from a season ago left in the summer, with midfielder Orel Mangala and center back Moussa Niakhate both moving to Lyon for a combined $60 million.
Bournemouth team news, focus
OUT: Enes Unal (ankle), Tyler Adams (back), David Brooks (shoulder) | QUESTIONABLE: Neto (back), Marcos Senesi (head)
Solanke thrived in Iraola’s counter-pressing system, and now they’ll hope that 27-year-old Turkish striker Enes Unal, who joined permanently from Getafe for $17 million earlier this summer, can replace a significant chunk of it. Unal scored two goals in 16 PL appearances while on loan last season.
Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth prediction
Something tells me that Forest’s defense isn’t going to be ready for the pressure that Bournemouth will put them under for 90 minutes. It’s uncomfortable for the best of teams, and a nightmare for those down at the bottom. Nottingham Forest 1-3 Bournemouth.
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