Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town Predictions

Nottingham Forest will welcome Ipswich Town to the City Ground on March 4, 2025, in a critical FA Cup fifth-round matchup, pitting Nuno Espírito Santo’s Tricky Trees against Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys. Nottingham Forest, projected to sit 8th in the Premier League with around 35 points from 19 matches as of March 2, 2025, are coming off a 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round win over Exeter City (Feb 15, 2025, via penalties), aiming to leverage their home advantage to advance to the quarter-finals. Ipswich Town, expected to be 18th with approximately 22 points, arrive after a 4-1 FA Cup fourth-round thrashing of Coventry City (Feb 15, 2025), seeking a cup upset to boost their faltering league campaign. This expert prediction analyzes team form, key players, head-to-head stats, and betting tips to answer: Who will win Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town in this FA Cup showdown?

Team Form & Recent Performances

Nottingham Forest

2024/25 Record (Projected as of Mar 2): 10W, 5D, 9L (35 points, 8th in Premier League)
Latest Result: 2-1 win vs. Exeter City (FA Cup, Feb 15, 2025 – won 4-2 on penalties after 2-2 draw)
Home Form: 7W, 2D, 2L (24 goals scored, 14 conceded)

Nottingham Forest have been a solid mid-table side in the Premier League, with their recent FA Cup fourth-round victory over Exeter City—secured via a 4-2 penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw—highlighting their resilience as of March 2, 2025. Projected at 35 points from 19 league matches, their last home league win—a 1-0 triumph over Ipswich Town (Nov 6, 2024)—underscores their strength at the City Ground, where they’ve lost just once this season (7W, 2D, 1L). At home, they’ve averaged 2.18 goals scored and 1.27 conceded per game, reflecting a potent attack and a defense that’s been reliable enough to challenge Ipswich’s struggling offense.

Ipswich Town

2024/25 Record (Projected as of Mar 2): 5W, 7D, 12L (22 points, 18th in Premier League)
Latest Result: 4-1 win vs. Coventry City (FA Cup, Feb 15, 2025)
Away Form: 2W, 3D, 6L (14 goals scored, 23 conceded)

Ipswich Town have struggled in their return to the Premier League, with their recent 4-1 FA Cup win over Coventry City providing a rare bright spot amid a five-game league winless streak (0W, 2D, 3L) as of March 2, 2025. Projected at 22 points from 19 league matches, their last away league win—a 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers (Dec 14, 2024)—offers some hope. On the road, they’ve averaged 1.27 goals scored and 2.09 conceded per game, exposing a leaky defense that could falter against Forest’s home attack, despite their cup scoring outburst.

Head-to-Head Stats & Historical Context

Overall Record: Nottingham Forest 39W, Ipswich Town 22W, 19D (80 meetings since 1954)
Recent Meetings:

• Nov 6, 2024: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Ipswich Town (Premier League)

• Mar 16, 2019: Ipswich Town 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Championship)

• Dec 1, 2018: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Ipswich Town (Championship)

Key Trend: Nottingham Forest have won 4 of the last 5 meetings; 3 of the last 5 H2Hs stayed under 2.5 goals.

Nottingham Forest have dominated recent encounters, with their 1-0 league win in November 2024 at the City Ground—thanks to Chris Wood’s penalty—extending their edge. Ipswich’s last victory over Forest was a 2-1 result in April 2018, and matches have averaged 2.0 goals in their last five meetings, suggesting a tight contest could unfold, tempered by Forest’s recent home defensive solidity (4 clean sheets in last 6 home games).

Key Players to Watch

Nottingham Forest

• Chris Wood (FWD): 10 goals, 3 assists in 2024/25; Forest’s top scorer and penalty specialist.

• Morgan Gibbs-White (MID): 5 goals, 6 assists; creative heartbeat of the team.

• Matz Sels (GK): 6 clean sheets; key to defensive resilience.

Ipswich Town

• Liam Delap (FWD): 7 goals in 2024/25; Ipswich’s leading scorer and rising star.

• Omari Hutchinson (MID): 4 goals, 5 assists; dynamic playmaker with flair.

• Arijanet Muric (GK): 4 clean sheets; vital despite defensive struggles.

Tactical Insights & Match Dynamics

Nottingham Forest’s 4-2-3-1 (1.58 goals per game in PL) under Espírito Santo relies on Wood’s finishing and Gibbs-White’s vision, testing Ipswich’s defense (1.89 goals conceded per game). Ipswich’s 4-2-3-1 (1.26 goals per game) leans on Delap’s physicality and Hutchinson’s creativity, exploiting Forest’s backline (1.37 goals conceded per game). Forest’s Carlos Miguel (out, hamstring) and Danilo (out, ankle) are absences, while Ipswich’s Wes Burns (doubtful, calf) and Kalvin Phillips (questionable, knock) could impact their lineup. The City Ground’s 30,000 fans will amplify pressure on Ipswich, whose away defensive woes (23 goals conceded in 11 games) could be exposed by Forest’s counter-attacking threat.

Prediction: Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town

Our Prediction: Nottingham Forest to Win

TIP 2: Correct Score - 3-1