Fulham vs Nottingham Forest Prediction: Afcon absentees to hinder both sides

Monday night's Premier League action comes from Craven Cottage as Fulham host Nottingham Forest (20:00 GMT, Sky Sports Main Event). Both sides head into this clash off the back of victories, with Fulham defeating Burnley last time out while Forest thumped Tottenham Hotspur.
Below you will find my Fulham vs Nottingham Forest predictions, accompanied by the latest match odds from Betfred and team news.
Fulham vs Nottingham Forest Betting Tips
*Odds correct as of the time of publication
Team News
Fulham are having to cope without a trio of key figures in Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samu Chukwueze, who are all representing Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon remain out of action with hamstring injuries, but it is hoped that the former could be in line to return in the next couple of weeks. This would bring relief to veteran Raul Jimenez, who is the only striker the Cottagers have got at the moment.
Ibrahim Sangare and Willy Boly are at Afcon too with the Ivory Coast, so Forest will be without their services on Monday.
Ola Aina (hamstring), Chris Wood (knee) and Ryan Yates (thigh) are also ruled out through injury, while Taiwo Awoniyi (fitness), Matz Sels (groin) and Nicolas Dominguez (knee) will need to be assessed ahead of the game.
Fulham vs Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineups
- Fulham: Leno; Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Kevin; Jimenez
- Nottingham Forest: Sels; Savona, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Luiz, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Fulham vs Nottingham Forest Odds
Fulham have won four of their eight home fixtures in the league this season and they are 6/4 to come out on top.
Forest have drawn two of their eight away trips so far in the top flight and the stalemate is valued at 9/4, which has an implied probability of 30.8%.
The visitors are 2/1 to come away with the victory, which they have managed in six of their last eight competitive matches.
Each of Fulham's past four league appearances have produced over 2.5 goals, which is marketed at 11/10.
Fulham vs Nottingham Forest Stats
- The two teams have drawn five league games between them - Fulham (two) and Forest (three)
- BTTS - Yes has landed in Fulham's last four matches
Match Result - Draw @ 9/4
I think both teams are going to be feeling the impact of their Afcon absentees, particularly Fulham who are losing three of their first-team regulars, while Sangare is going to be a big miss for Forest in the middle of the park.
Then you add in the injury troubles for both sides and this becomes an even tougher contest for them both. Forest have built up some strong momentum, having won six of their last eight games in all competitions.
However, Manchester City are the only team in the Premier League to come to Craven Cottage and win this season, in the 5-4 thriller played out earlier in the month. This will be a big test for both clubs as they both want to give themselves extra breathing room away from the bottom three.
I think given the circumstances, a draw seems very likely here, especially when you factor in the fact that Forest have never won inside this ground in the Premier League.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Both Teams To Score - Yes @ 4/5
With Fulham missing key defender Bassey, and Forest without midfield anchor Sangare, this should lead to an open end-to-end contest and I predict that there will be goals on offer to both sides.
For my second selection, I have struggled to look past BTTS - Yes because both teams have found the net in each of Fulham's previous four outings in the top flight.
This hasn't been much of a common trend for Forest in 2025/26 but they are against a side who keep conceding goals at the moment and the Tricky Trees do have quality in their attacking ranks to profit from this.
But also, Fulham have been very effective when playing at home, so I am confident that they will have no issues getting on the scoresheet.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
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