Burnley vs Nottingham Forest Prediction for 20 September 2025 - Football

🔊 How will Nottingham Forest's rebuilding process unfold following the managerial change? Ange Postecoglou has returned to English football, but the results remain unchanged. The manager has promised fans trophies, yet has already exited one of the domestic cups. In the league, their prospects for a European spot appear uncertain. On Saturday, September 20, the "Tricky Trees" face an away fixture at Burnley. The "Clarets" have yet to suffer a home defeat this season. Can Ange Postecoglou secure his first victory at the helm of Nottingham, or will Burnley maintain their unbeaten record at Turf Moor? In our editorial prediction, we'll analyze which outcome seems more likely.

Head-to-Head

📊 These teams have rarely crossed paths in recent years. While Burnley were making their mark in the Premier League from 2017 to 2022, Nottingham Forest were fighting for promotion. In the 2022/23 season, Forest finally succeeded, and in the following campaign, they remained unbeaten against Burnley (1-1; 2-1). When Nottingham were still in the Championship, the clubs faced off in the League Cup draw — with the Clarets coming out on top in the first round (1-0).

Burnley Team Overview

Scott Parker's side have been fighting for survival since the Premier League kicked off. After four matches, they've managed just one victory—against Sunderland (2-0). As a result, they sit 17th, level on points with the relegation zone. However, Burnley faced a brutal schedule: three away games against top-tier teams from the traditional Premier League top six (Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool). Yet, their home performances deserve praise. Besides Sunderland, they defeated Derby County in the English League Cup (2-1).

Scoring has been a challenge for Burnley so far—despite netting four goals in the Premier League, only two teams have suffered at their hands. Forward Jaidon Anthony has been involved in most of these goals, contributing 2+1. Although the Clarets' defense has been mediocre, it's the area Scott Parker rotates the least. Newcomers like young Cartman Quilindsi and the evergreen Kyle Walker and Martin Dubravka have played every minute.

Nottingham Forest Team Overview

The "Foresters" had a promising start in the current Premier League season, securing four points against solid opposition like Brentford (3-1) and Crystal Palace (1-1). However, internal issues within the management led to a coaching change from Nuno Espírito Santo to Ange Postecoglou. This shift didn't significantly improve their situation, as under the Australian-Greek coach, the "Red and Whites" suffered defeats to Arsenal in the Premier League (0-3) and Swansea in the EFL Cup (2-3).

Even before these issues arose, Nottingham's forwards were dazzling at the start of the Premier League, despite a lackluster preseason. All four of their league goals were orchestrated by the attacking quartet of Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Dan Ndoye, and Morgan Gibbs-White. In the EFL Cup clash against Swansea, Omari Hutchinson and Igor Jesus made their starting debuts for the "Foresters." They were instrumental in scoring two goals against the "Swans," with the Brazilian's brace earning him the Man of the Match title.

Latest news

Burnley

📌 News surrounding Burnley extends far beyond the football pitch. The club's management plans to sue Everton for £50 million. The Toffees were docked eight points in the 2023/24 season for spending violations. Top clubs are permitted to incur losses of no more than £105 million over three years. Burnley claims they lost out on additional revenue following their relegation in the 2021/22 season—one of the seasons when Everton was found guilty of breaching financial fair play regulations.

❌ Burnley's injury list, which includes Zeki Amdouni, Connor Roberts, and Jordan Beyer, has recently been joined by Jacob Bruun Larsen. The midfielder missed the Sunday match against Liverpool due to a heel injury sustained while on international duty with Denmark. Leslie Ugochukwu will also be absent against Nottingham, having received a red card in the fourth round of the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest

🎙 Ange Postecoglou had some harsh words for his team following their defeat to Swansea in the English League Cup. "We should have capitalized on our chances and put the game to bed. I think the lads got too comfortable too early, and we paid a heavy price for it. We need to learn to recognize the warning signs in time. This was a great opportunity to progress and fight for success, but we let it slip away. Yes, there were positives, but they lose significance when you realize we've squandered a chance," said the Nottingham Forest manager.

❌ To the long-term injury of Nicolás Domínguez since the end of last season, Ola Aina has been added during the international break. The defender suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Nigeria and will miss about three months. Another defender, Murillo, couldn't finish the match against Arsenal and missed the cup game against Swansea. However, according to the coach, the Brazilian might be fit in time for the fifth round.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The match will be officiated by the main referee Thomas Bramall. Over his last 20 Premier League matches, he has issued an average of four cautions per game. This trend has continued through the first two matches of the current season. Both teams play with a certain level of caution. In their last five official encounters, the average yellow card count stands at 2.4 and 2.8, favoring Nottingham Forest. We believe Thomas Bramall will not exceed his average or the teams' norms. Our pick: total yellow cards under 4.5.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Burnley have shown they can score not only in the Championship but also at the Premier League level. They netted two goals each against Sunderland and Manchester United. Ange Postecoglou is known for advocating a high defensive line. Swansea exploited this three times in the English League Cup, as did Arsenal in the Premier League. We anticipate that the home crowd will push Scott Parker's side forward. This added momentum should allow Burnley to score over 1.5 goals.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Nottingham Forest significantly outpaces their upcoming opponent in corner kicks, averaging 4.6 compared to Burnley's 3.2 over the last five matches. Despite any defensive vulnerabilities, given their squad quality, it would be unacceptable for Forest to approach the game against Burnley from anything other than a position of strength. We expect the Clarets to spend more time defending and not earn many set pieces in the opposition half. Our prediction: total corners for Burnley under 5.5.

Bookmakers, highlighting the class difference, have marked Nottingham as favorites for this clash. However, we wouldn't be so quick to agree. Burnley have shown flashes of impressive play, especially at Turf Moor, where they've won more matches than they've lost this season. True, aside from Liverpool, their opponents have mostly been current or former Championship teams, but Nottingham also stumbled against Swansea in the English League Cup.

The Clarets have avoided defeat at Turf Moor in 23 of their last 24 matches. Meanwhile, Nottingham face a Europa League trip to Spain to take on Real Betis this week. Although Ange Postecoglou rarely rotated his squad with Tottenham last season, the status of Saturday’s opponent might persuade him otherwise this time around. This strengthens our belief that Burnley will not lose in the upcoming match. Additionally, Scott Parker's longer tenure with the team could even lead to a 2-1 victory.