Ipswich vs Nottingham Forest: Premier League Clash Preview

Seven games into a Premier League season, the table still lies to you. It flatters some, punishes others, and hides the context in between. But even with that caveat, Ipswich in 10th and Nottingham Forest in 19th stops you in your tracks.

Ipswich have not dazzled. They have not needed to. They have been efficient, especially at Portman Road, where the noise has started to sound like it belongs in the top flight again. They already own more home wins than in their entire relegation campaign two seasons ago. Three league victories in total, matching Liverpool in fifth, tell their own story. Gary O’Neil has not come to curate a stylistic manifesto. He has come to make them competitive, quickly, and he has done exactly that.

Forest arrive from a very different place. Oliver Glasner has yet to find any real rhythm. Five points. Goal difference of -4. No goals in four home matches. Those numbers do not just hint at trouble; they shout it. That is why Forest travel to Suffolk second from bottom, with little room to sugar-coat their situation.

Ipswich: structure, stability and a useful edge

O’Neil’s selection picture is clearer than his opposite number’s. Sasa Lukic, who missed the 3-2 defeat at Manchester City with a minor groin issue, is expected to return. If he is fit, he goes straight back in alongside Exequiel Palacios in midfield. That pairing gives Ipswich control on the ball and a bit of bite without it. Florentino Luis and Azor Matusiwa wait in reserve, but right now they are understudies, not leads.

Jack Taylor remains out with a knee problem and has yet to feature this season, so the core of the side picks itself. Out wide, there is a decision. Abdul Fatawu is back from suspension and hands O’Neil a genuine alternative on the flank. That puts pressure on Daizen Maeda, whose place suddenly looks less secure.

The tactical question is shape. At the Etihad, O’Neil moved to a back three and saw enough to stick with it. It suits this fixture. Leif Davis and Abdoul Ouattara as wing-backs give Ipswich natural width, but with a built-in safety net when they lose the ball. At home, against a Forest team short on belief, that system reads as pragmatic rather than timid. It allows Ipswich to push on without exposing themselves recklessly.

Forest: problems at both ends, hope in key returns

Forest’s issues are simpler to diagnose and harder to fix. They are blunt in attack and fragile in defence. Igor Jesus is out until the end of the month with a calf injury, so the central striker role almost certainly falls to Liam Delap, with Chris Wood as the experienced alternative off the bench.

Behind the striker, the big question is Morgan Gibbs-White. He missed the defeat to Arsenal with a muscle problem, but Glasner suggested he was close to returning. If he is available, he starts. No debate. Forest desperately need someone to knit their play together, to link a busy midfield with an isolated front line, and Gibbs-White is that conduit. With him, James McAtee can drop a little deeper and influence the game in different areas. Without him, Nicolas Dominguez is likely to keep his place and Forest lose some of that creative spark between the lines.

At the back, there is at least a hint of good news. Nikola Milenkovic returned to the matchday squad against Arsenal after a knee bone bruise. Glasner will not want to rush him, but the option to reintroduce a defender of his stature, even carefully, matters for a side that has looked brittle. Nicolo Savona remains a long-term absentee with a knee injury and has not played since January, so any extra depth is welcome.

Delap’s return and a game that can’t hide the truth

The narrative thread is obvious. Liam Delap back at Portman Road, the ground where he made a strong impression before his move. Different shirt, different role, same direct threat. He has already shown flashes for Forest, including the opener in their 2-1 win at Aston Villa, and he will not be short of motivation here.

Ipswich are likely to defend with numbers, but their wing-backs and midfielders will still commit forward. That leaves space on the break. Space Delap loves. If Forest can turn over possession cleanly and release him early, he has every chance of finding the net against his former club.

What about the result? The evidence pulls in opposite directions. Ipswich have the table position, the home advantage and the calmer mood. Forest can point to stronger underlying numbers and the potential return of Gibbs-White, a single player who changes the feel of their attack the moment he steps on the pitch.

Kick-off is at 8pm BST on Friday, October 23 at Portman Road. By full-time, the league table will still lie a little. But for one of these clubs, it may stop feeling like a misunderstanding and start looking like a verdict.