Chris Sutton predicts score of Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace On GoodFriday

The Eagles will travel to City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday (30 March), and Oliver Glasner will be looking to pick up all three points after failing to win their previous two games.

Forest have dropped to 18th in the Premier League after they were docked four points for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules. With Everton likely to suffer a point deduction as well, Palace can breathe easily regarding relegation fears.

Palace are six points behind Bournemouth and they must aim to get into the top half of the table in the remaining matches. Chris Sutton says that he is unsure what to expect from the new Palace boss, and predicts Forest to grab a crucial win here.

Forest have picked up just one win in their last ten games in the Premier League. This is their first game after the point deduction, and Nuno Espirito Santo will be demanding a strong response from his players.

Chris Sutton predicts score of Nottingham Forest v Crystal Palace

Sutton told Netsport: “Nottingham Forest should have beaten Luton in their last game, and the points they dropped there could prove pivotal in their fight to stay up.

“This is Forest’s first game since the points deduction that saw them fall below the Hatters and drop into the relegation zone but they have been in wretched form recently, and I am not sure what kind of reaction we will see from them here.

“Crystal Palace’s last game was a draw against Luton too – I was at Selhurst Park to see it, but I still don’t know what to expect from them under new boss Oliver Glasner.

“Glasner has had a bit of time on the training ground with some of his players in the past couple of weeks so we might see some signs of that here.

“I just don’t see Forest losing this one, though. The big question is whether they will do enough to win it. Prediction 1-0.” 

Crystal Palace badly hurt by injuries this season

Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and it cannot be used as an excuse, but in the case of Crystal Palace, it cannot be ignored altogether. The likes of Newcastle United and Liverpool have also faced problems with injuries, but they have a bigger squad than Palace.

Palace have lost Cheick Doucoure, Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi – four of their best players – for most of the season. It impacted the performance and results, which eventually led to Roy Hodgson’s dismissal.

The Eagles have suffered another massive blow this week after it was confirmed that goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has picked up an injury and he is likely to be out for the rest of the season. Taking all these factors into consideration, it is not hard to explain Palace’s struggles.

Eze has just returned to the side and he was outstanding against Luton, a game the Eagles should have won easily. Glasner will hope that other players will return before the end of the season, and if that happens, it will be a massive boost for the club.