Nottingham Forest head to the Portman Road Stadium to face Ipswich Town in a matchday eight clash of the ongoing 2026/27 English Premier League season, aiming for a win to end their poor run of form.
Ayomide Oguntimehin looks ahead to the October 23 matchup.
Ipswich vs Nottingham Forest match preview
Ipswich Town enter this clash on the back of a narrow 3-2 defeat to Manchester City in their previous outing. The Tractor Boys finished second behind Coventry City in the Championship last season to gain promotion back to the English top flight and have enjoyed a decent start to the season.
They are currently 10th on the standings after winning three of their seven league games, with their wins coming against Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Fulham. They have scored 11 goals and conceded 15 and have a negative goal difference of four.
Positive play. ⚽️ 💫 Pala was everywhere in this team move. A total of 26 passes before we got the shot away. 🔀 https://t.co/PMJPZAQYvU
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) October 19, 2026
Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, have endured a difficult start to the season and are currently in the relegation zone in 19th, after picking up just a single win in seven matches. Despite the arrival of Oliver Glasner from Crystal Palace in the summer, their form has barely improved.
The Tricky Trees enter this clash on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to champions Arsenal, which marked their third consecutive Premier League defeat. They have only scored five times, which is the lowest tally in the league, and have also allowed nine goals into their own net.
Ipswich vs Nottingham Forest Head-to-Head
(Last five matches)
- 15.03.2025 – Ipswich 2-4 Nottingham Forest
- 03.03.2025 – Nottingham Forest 2-1 Ipswich
- 30.11.2024 – Nottingham Forest 1-0 Ipswich
- 16.03.2019 – Ipswich 1-1 Nottingham Forest
- 01.12.2018 – Nottingham Forest 2-0 Ipswich
Nottingham Forest have held the upper advantage in this fixture in recent years and are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, winning four and recording one draw.
Best betting odds
Over 1.5 Goals — 1.22 (via 1xBet)
Prediction
This fixture has a history of producing multiple goals, with four of the last five matches producing at least two goals and this particular clash is expected to continue the trend.
Thank you for your support this evening, Reds. 🔴 https://t.co/FFJEXXTf8Y
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) October 18, 2026
Recent form: Ipswich Town
Ipswich have been inconsistent this season, although they have still managed to win three of their seven Premier League games.
The Tractor Boys have also won two of their three games at home, although they are yet to keep a clean sheet in all seven of their games this season.
Recent form: Nottingham Forest
Forest have been very poor this season and have managed just one win in seven Premier League games, losing the last three in a row.
However, the Tricky Trees are unbeaten in two of their three games away from home, including a 2-1 win at Aston Villa in September, which is their only league win so far.
Player to watch
Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest)
Iwobi and four other highest earning Nigerian players in the EPL
Despite Nottingham Forest’s poor start to the season, Super Eagles defender Ola Aina has been one of their best performers and the right-back will be hoping for another big performance to help his side to a good result.
His runs down the flank and crosses could provide his side with a major attacking outlet in the encounter.
