It’s a fight for survival at the City Ground on Monday as Nottingham Forest and Southampton chase a vital win to boost their chances of escaping relegation.
Forest can move out of the Bottom 3 with a draw here but should be eyeing all three points given the tough run-in ahead. Steve Cooper’s men finished April with a much-needed victory over Brighton and held their own in narrow losses to Liverpool and Brentford.
The situation is even more desperate for bottom-of-the-table Southampton, who are six points from safety and haven’t won since early March. A lifeless 3-1 defeat at Newcastle last weekend made it five losses in their last six games.
Take a closer look at this May 8 battle with our Nottingham Forest vs Southampton free betting picks below.
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton best odds
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton picks and predictions
Relegation showdowns tend to serve up a potent mix of nerves, mistakes, and goalmouth action. The stakes are already high heading into Monday — and I feel like both teams will have circled this fixture as a game where only a victory will do. To me, that points to a surprisingly open contest.
Forest’s last three games have all cashed in the Over on 2.5 goals, and they’ve got attacking depth to count on, even if Brennan Johnson misses out after limping off against Brentford. Taiwo Awoniyi netted the winner against Southampton back in January, and Cooper can turn to Andre Ayew, Jesse Lingard, and Emmanuel Dennis to support him.
The Tricky Trees have picked up 24 of their 30 points at home this season and look like a different team in the final third at the City Ground, as they showed in a 3-1 win against high-flying Brighton 10 days ago.
Southampton have found goals harder to come by, but they played their part in a dramatic 3-3 draw with Arsenal last month and James Ward-Prowse makes the visitors a threat from free-kicks and corners. With Forest hampered by a lengthy injury list, including the in-form Danilo, Saints should create chances against the hosts’ reshuffled lineup. Again, they can’t afford to play for a point.
It may not be pretty in wet conditions on Monday, but I’m taking the Over here with the potential for a tense back-and-forth thriller.
My best bet: Over 2.5 (+100 at FanDuel)
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Nottingham Forest vs Southampton side analysis
Home field advantage and stronger recent form should give Forest an edge on Monday — and they’re slight favorites to land a victory that would represent a big step towards beating the drop. You can find a price of at least +120 for the hosts, and they got an extra boost with Leeds’ loss on Saturday.
Forest only picked up three points from their last three games but it could easily have been more, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo both netting twice in that span. They led against Brentford before a disastrous final 10 minutes and welcomed Ryan Yates back in the midfield engine room.
There were hints of resignation in some of Southampton’s performances in April, but I expect the visitors to put up a fight here in what’s essentially a must-win contest. During their run of nine games without a win, Saints have produced some of their best football on the road, including the 3-3 draw at Arsenal.
I expect some attacking substitutions from both managers if the scores are level heading into the final 20 minutes — and Forest arguably have more creative options off the bench despite some key absences.
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton Over/Under analysis
Though this matchup may not ordinarily scream goal-fest, I’ve already made the case for this turning into an end-to-end thriller. Forest put two goals past Liverpool at Anfield and netted three times at the City Ground against Brighton — so they’re certainly capable of rattling a vulnerable Southampton defense.
The visitors haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last eight games, and the decision to bench keeper Gavin Bazuno in favor of Alex McCarthy hasn’t turned around their fortunes. After taking the lead against Newcastle last time out, they collapsed in the second half.
Southampton have been lacking in the final third all season — just 28 goals in 34 games — but Carlos Alcaraz has been one of the few bright spots in a more advanced role and Che Adams could be back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench at St. James’ Park.
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton game info
| Location: | City Ground, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Date: | Monday, May 8, 2023 |
| Time: | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | USA |
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton key injuries
Nottingham Forest: Brennan Johnson F (Questionable), Danilo M (Questionable), Jack Colback M (Questionable), Jonjo Shelvey M (Questionable), Neco Williams D (Doubtful), Dean Henderson G (Out).
Southampton: Romain Perraud D (Out), Valentino Livramento D (Out).
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton recent form
| Teams | Last five matches |
|---|---|
 Nottingham Forest |
L-L-D-L-D |
 Southampton |
D-L-D-W-L |
Nottingham Forest vs Southampton weather
It’s set to be a wet day in Nottingham on Monday, though the rain may have eased slightly by kickoff. Still, expect slippery conditions, with temperatures in the high-50s.
