Nottingham Forest vs Brighton Prediction

Current form: two very different trajectories

Brighton's recent run across all competitions reads 12 wins, four draws and four losses from 20 matches, with 45 goals scored against just 18 conceded. That's a strong scoring record overall, even though the last month has included back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool, sandwiched around a 5-0 home win over Crystal Palace.

Nottingham Forest: 20 completed matches; Brighton: 20 completed matches.

Nottingham Forest

20 matches

Win

30% 6 / 20

Draw

25% 5 / 20

Loss

45% 9 / 20

Scored

20

Conceded

24

Difference

-4

Brighton

20 matches

Win

60% 12 / 20

Draw

20% 4 / 20

Loss

20% 4 / 20

Scored

45

Conceded

18

Difference

+27

Forest's equivalent sample is far tougher reading: six wins, five draws and nine losses from 20 games, with only 20 goals scored and 24 conceded. Recent results include defeats to Arsenal, Coventry and Aston Villa, plus draws with Tottenham and Liverpool, so goals have clearly been hard to come by.

Forest's goal difference in this sample points to a side short of firepower rather than just bad luck.

Comparative Team Statistics: Nottingham Forest vs Brighton

Head-to-head: an uneven recent record

Brighton have won more of the recent meetings between these two, including a 2-1 home win back in March 2026 and a 2-0 away win the previous November. There's also a 3-2 away win for Brighton and a narrow 1-0 success in there as well.

It isn't entirely one-way, though. Forest beat Brighton 7-0 at the City Ground in February 2025, and there have been a few draws mixed in too, including an FA Cup goalless draw. The wider history going back to Championship days shows plenty of tight, low-scoring games between the clubs.

The head-to-head numbers lean towards Brighton, but that heavy home defeat shows Forest are capable of turning it on against them.

League table: a big points gap

Brighton sit third with 19 points from nine games, built on six wins, one draw and two losses, scoring 24 and conceding just seven. That's a tidy defensive record alongside the goals at the other end.

Forest are down in 19th with six points from the same nine matches, just one win, three draws and five losses, scoring six and shipping 12. The gap between the two clubs in the table right now is substantial.

Players making the difference

P. Groß has been Brighton's standout contributor in their last five matches, with three goals and three assists, while C. Kostoulas and M. Yalcouyé have chipped in two goals apiece. M. De Cuyper has also added a couple of assists from the back.

Nottingham Forest:

Best assist providers:

M. Gibbs-White - 2

Penalty cards:

J. McAtee x 2

Brighton:

Best scorers:

P. Groß - 3

C. Kostoulas - 2

M. Yalcouyé - 2

Best assist providers:

P. Groß - 3

M. De Cuyper - 2

D. Gómez - 2

Penalty cards:

M. De Cuyper x 2

On the Forest side, M. Gibbs-White has kept producing assists even while results have gone against his side. Both De Cuyper and Forest's J. McAtee have picked up a couple of yellow cards in their last five outings, worth bearing in mind for discipline markets.