Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth – News and Probable Lineups

Andoni Iraola is set to lead Bournemouth one last time as the Cherries head to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest in their final Premier League match of the 2025-26 season this Sunday afternoon.

Despite the Tricky Trees having already secured their Premier League status for another year, Bournemouth remains in the race for a place in the Champions League.

Match overview

Bournemouth has been a standout team in the Premier League this year, achieving European football for the first time in their 127-year history following a 1-1 draw at home against Manchester City on Tuesday evening.

The Cherries were close to winning the match until Erling Haaland netted a last-minute equaliser, securing a draw for the Citizens. This result leaves Iraola’s side in sixth place in the table, trailing Liverpool in fifth by three points going into the final weekend.

Even if Bournemouth does not finish in the top five, a sixth-place finish could still offer Champions League football for the next season, depending on Liverpool’s match against Brentford and if Europa League winners Aston Villa lose against Manchester City, dropping from fourth to fifth.

A Champions League or Europa League spot would be a remarkable achievement for the Cherries, who are currently enjoying a club-record 17-match unbeaten run in the league (W8 D9) — only Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich (19) have a longer unbeaten streak across the top five divisions in Europe.

Bournemouth, who last suffered a defeat on January 3 against champions Arsenal (3-2), has triumphed in three of their last four trips to the City Ground and aims to secure only their second league double over Nottingham Forest after winning the first match 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium in October of the previous year.

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Nottingham Forest’s run of eight league matches without defeat concluded last weekend when they fell 3-2 away at Manchester United, a match marred by a controversial goal from the Red Devils that PGMO has acknowledged should have been disallowed due to a handball by Bryan Mbeumo.

Fortunately for Forest, their top-flight status was secured a week prior, shortly after their exit in the Europa League semifinals at the hands of eventual champions Aston Villa. They currently occupy 16th place in the Premier League table and are seven points clear of the relegation zone heading into the final weekend.

Forest, who can only finish as high as 15th by defeating Bournemouth, is reportedly eager to offer head coach Vitor Pereira a new contract after being impressed by the Portuguese manager’s influence at the club since taking over from Sean Dyche in February, having gathered a total of 16 points from 11 league games under Pereira (W4 D4 L3).

Pereira has certainly assisted in making Forest more menacing in attack recently, with his side netting 19 goals in their last seven Premier League games, surpassing the 18 goals scored during the previous 19 matches from November to March. Forest has managed to score at least two goals in five of those matches.

The Tricky Trees approach Sunday’s match against Bournemouth winless in all seven previous Premier League encounters (D3 L4) against them, the most games they have played against a single opponent without ever winning in the division. Additionally, they have succeeded in securing victory in only one of their last six season-ending fixtures (D2 L3), having triumphed over relegated Burnley 2-1 in the 2023-24 season.

Team News

Nottingham Forest defender Murillo (hamstring) remains sidelined and has not returned to training, joining Callum Hudson-Odoi (hamstring), Nicolo Savona (knee), and Willy Boly (knee) in the treatment room.

However, Pereira has indicated that right-back Ola Aina and winger Dan Ndoye have returned to training this week and may be included in the matchday squad, pending late fitness assessments.

Highly sought-after Elliot Anderson, who provided two assists in the loss against Manchester United last week, could be playing his final game for Forest if he is sold over the summer, while Morgan Gibbs-White may also feature in midfield; he has had a hand in 10 goals (eight goals and two assists) in his past nine league appearances.

For Bournemouth, Ryan Christie will miss the second of a three-match suspension, while Alex Jimenez is unavailable as the club continues to look into his social media posts that surfaced earlier this month.

Iraola is likely to maintain an unchanged starting XI, with Marcos Senesi expected to make his final appearance for the Cherries before departing in the summer, joining James Hill, Adam Smith, and Adrien Truffert in a four-man defensive line.

Eli Junior Kroupi leads the team with 13 Premier League goals this season, having scored five in his last seven matches, and the 19-year-old forward could become only the third Bournemouth player to reach 15 goals in the top flight, following Dominic Solanke (19) and Joshua King (16), if he manages to find the net at least twice against Forest.

Nottingham Forest probable starting XI:

Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Morato, Netz; Bakwa, Yates, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Jesus, Awoniyi

Bournemouth probable starting XI:

Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Adams, Scott; Rayan, Kroupi, Tavernier; Evanilson

Nottingham Forest’s newly revitalized attack could pose a significant threat to Bournemouth’s defense, but the Cherries will be confident in their ability to contain the Tricky Trees, as they possess the best away defensive record among Premier League teams in 2026, having conceded just five goals.

Iraola’s team has remarkably drawn 17 games in the Premier League this season, the most for any club in a 38-match season, yet we anticipate the South Coast team to deliver another impressive performance and secure all three points to keep their historic Champions League dreams alive.

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