Notebook - Nottingham Forest vs Spurs

For the first time in over 20 years, we will face Nottingham Forest in a league match as we make the trip to the City Ground this afternoon (4.30pm kick-off).

Ahead of the game, here are all of the fixture’s key points of note…

1 - 23 years in the making

Our meeting this afternoon with Nottingham Forest will be a rather historic one with us not having met the East Midlands outfit in the league so far this century. Despite this fixture having been something of a staple in the 20^th century with it having been played out 117 times between 1909 and 1999, it has incredibly been 23 years since it last took place in the league. Since the new Millennium, we have taken on Forest just three times and each of those clashes have come in a cup competition. The last time we visited the City Ground in the league was back in April, 1999 – a clash we edged 1-0.

2 - Iversen the difference

It was Steffen Iversen who came up with crucial goal in that match in April, 1999. In a game that could have sealed Forest’s relegation to the First Division if other results had not gone their way, we missed a penalty through Allan Nielsen in the first half before Iversen picked up an attempted clearance and drilled the winner past the goalkeeper at the near post after the break to see us claim all three points. That slim victory is our only Premier League win at the City Ground to date.

3 – The record

While we have won just once at the City Ground in the top flight since its reformation is 1992, we do not have the strongest record against Nottingham Forest in general in the competition. Having faced each other on 10 occasions to date, Forest have won six of those matches while we have won just three (D1). Two of those victories though were the last two meetings between the sides, plus, so much has changed for both clubs in the 23 years since.

4 - Forest’s rise

Having last been in the Premier League back in the 1998/99 season, it has been a difficult past 23 years for Nottingham Forest as they have fought to return to the top flight. Initially spending six years in Division one/the Championship, Forest were then relegated to League One in 2005 for the first time since 1949. They returned to the Championship in 2008 but, bar two play-off place finishes in 2010 and 2011, they rarely challenged for promotion – only in three other campaigns did they finish in the top half of the table. Yet, last season, that all important challenge came as they finished fourth, defeating Sheffield United on penalties in the play-off semi-finals before winning 1-0 against Huddersfield Town at Wembley.

5 – A good start

And the highs of that promotion campaign have continued into Forest’s first year back in the Premier League as, with three games played, they have already picked up four points. Having fallen to Newcastle United on the opening day (2-0), they then picked up their first win by defeating West Ham United at home before drawing 1-1 away at Everton last time out. That victory at the City Ground also extended Forest’s fine home run – they have now won each of their last eight home league games, their best such run since 2010.

6 – Fortress on the Trent

With such a strong home record, the City Ground is starting to become quite the fortress for Nottingham Forest in 2022. While they have won each of their last eight league games there on the trot, it has also become a place where opposition sides have found it difficult to breach. In their last 16 home matches, Steve Cooper’s side have kept 10 cleans sheets and have conceded just seven goals.

7 - A busy summer on the Trent

As they look to make a real fist of their first season back in the Premier League, Forest have moved to bring many new faces into their squad. All in all, 16 players have been brought in, including five defenders and six midfielders. Some of the notable names that have moved to the East Midlands include the likes of Manchester United’s Dean Henderson on loan, Wales internationals Neco Williams and Wayne Hennessey, England international Jesse Lingard and Emmanuel Dennis from Watford.

8 – An unbeaten start

It has been a fine start to the season for us as we head into matchday four unbeaten in the Premier League. Having picked up wins over Southampton and Wolves, we also earned a draw away at Chelsea to see us to seven points from a possible nine. However, it is very rare that we remain unbeaten after four games. Only twice in the last 13 years have we been undefeated come matchday five with a run of four games in 2009/10 and a run of 12 in 2016/17.

9 - Second-half hits

So far this season, it is in the second half of matches where we have really made our mark. In our games to date this campaign, we have produced 39 shots. Of those, only 12 of them have come within the first 45 minutes of matches while 27 (69 per cent) have come after the break – the highest in the league. That has seen seven of our nine goals this campaign scored in the second half.

10 – Antonio against newly-promoted sides

Antonio Conte seems to relish facing newly-promoted teams in the Premier League. In his career in England’s top flight to date, he has lost just one of his 17 such matches (W13 D3) – that was a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle in his final league game of his spell at Chelsea. While with us though, he’s won four of his five such games (a 0-0 draw with Brentford in April being the other) and we have not conceded a goal in those games.