Overview
In the last 10 matches, Nottingham lost 1, drew 1 and won 8. In that run, only Man City and Liverpool cost Nottingham points.
Nottingham's defense is certainly the mainstay of their impressive streak. They have the second best defense in the league this season, equal to Liverpool (20 goals conceded) and only behind Arsenal (19 goals conceded).
In contrast to the home team, Southampton are playing extremely poorly. In the last 10 matches, they have won 1, drawn 1 and lost 8.
In the most recent match against Man United, Southampton had the advantage of leading but easily lost late in the match. That shows how poorly the Saints' defence is doing. They are currently the second worst defensive team in the Premier League with 47 goals conceded, only behind Wolves (48 goals conceded).
Southampton are 20th in the Premier League table (1 win, 3 draws, 17 losses). After 21 matches, Southampton have only 6 points. away from home, they have gone 18 consecutive matches without a win in the tournament, stretching back to February 2023.
In addition, Nottingham is on a 4-match unbeaten streak at home, including 3 wins. With the huge difference between the two teams at the moment and home advantage, the victory is almost certainly in the hands of coach Nuno Santo's team.
In terms of head-to-head record, the home team at City Ground also won all 3 of their most recent encounters against Southampton. In the first leg of this season's tournament, they beat Southampton 1-0 away thanks to a goal from Morgan Gibbs-White.
Personnel situation
This is a match in which Nottingham Forest will not have the service of Sangare due to injury. Nuno Santo is likely to keep the same lineup as in midweek.
On the other side of the front line, Southampton cannot use Stewart, Stephens and Larios. Paul Onuachu, Cameron Archer or Adam Armstrong could pair Kamaldeen Sulemana up front.
Expected lineup:
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Yates, Anderson, Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson- odoi, Wood.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Wood, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Sugawara, Downes, Ugochukwu, Walker-Peters, Fernandes, Onuachu, Sulemana.
The match between Nottingham and Southampton takes place at 9:00 p.m. on January 19 (Vietnam time).
