Football betting tips: Premier League
1pt Chris Wood to score anytime at 3/1 (Unibet)
1pt Morgan Gibbs-White to be shown a card at 4/1 (Sky Bet)
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Ah, the deduction derby. The two teams keeping the Premier League relegation battle interesting thanks to matters off the pitch as well as on it.
Everton have been busy doing two things this season - either they've been appealing... or they've been appalling.
Monday night's 6-0 hiding at Chelsea was a new nadir in a run of 19 games in all competitions that have yielded just two wins, narrow 1-0 victories at that.
Nottingham Forest have also tasted success just twice in 2024, making this a relegation six-pointer worthy of the phrase.
What are the best bets?
If you want to know how unpredictable this game is, check out Opta stats four and five below in the 'Match Facts' section. To sum up, Everton are awful at home, Forest even worse away.
Who is going to be the best of two very bad bunches? Who knows - and there's little point trying to fathom the unfathomable.
Instead, I'm drawn to arguably Forest's two best players of the season, CHRIS WOOD and MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE - albeit drawn to them in different markets.
In terms of goalscoring, Wood should be in a class of his own at Goodison if the numbers paint a correct picture. His 12 league goals this campaign are at least double the tally of anyone else on the pitch.
Just look at the company he is keeping in the 'goals-per-90' rankings.
The Kiwi has bagged nine goals in his past 11 PL matches and the 3/1 available on him TO SCORE ANYTIME has to be snapped up against a depleted, ailing and low-on-confidence Everton back-line.
Away from home, Forest are the third most cautioned side in the top flight and Gibbs-White is the chief culprit overall. He's amassed nine yellow cards in 30 starts.
This is a huge game, tempers could flare and MGW can be a bit of a hot-head. The 4/1 on him TO BE SHOWN A CARD looks large given the circumstances and considering no one in either squad has been booked more in the league this season.
BuildABet @70/1
- Wood to score anytime
- Gibbs-White to be shown a card
- Pickford to be shown a card
CLICK HERE to back with Sky Bet
If Everton sneak in front at some stage, they know how big three points will be and that could lead to a few antics from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who has already entered the referee's notebook four times this season.
Team news
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed the thrashing at Chelsea with a thigh problem and it is touch and go whether he will be declared fit, while Jarrad Branthwaite is also a worry after coming off at Stamford Bridge with a knock.
Idrissa Gueye (calf) is the Toffees' other big doubt, while it is 50/50 if Nathan Patterson and Seamus Coleman will recover from injuries suffered against the Blues.
Anthony Elanga missed Forest's draw with Wolves and is questionable to return, while Taiwo Awoniyi and Willy Boly are still struggling with injuries suffered last month.
Predicted line-ups
Everton: Pickford; Mykolenko, Tarkowski, Keane, Godfrey; McNeil, Onana, Doucoure, Young; Garner, Beto.
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Omobamidele, Murillo, Williams, Aina; Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Reyna, Yates, Danilo; Wood.
Match facts
- Everton are looking to complete their first league double over Nottingham Forest since 1996-97.
- Nottingham Forest have won just one of their last eight Premier League games against Everton (D2 L5), with that victory coming at Goodison Park in January 1999 under Ron Atkinson (1-0).
- Each of Everton’s last 10 Premier League home wins has been to nil, with the Toffees failing to win any of their last 22 at Goodison Park when conceding (D5 L17). Their last such victory was against Crystal Palace in May 2022 (3-2).
- Of the 17 ever-present sides in the Premier League since the start of last season, Forest have won the fewest away games (3), earned the fewest away points (18), lost the most away games (23), scored the fewest away goals (28) and conceded the most away goals (77).
- Of the 17 ever-present sides in the Premier League since the start of last season, Everton have won the fewest home games (10), earned the fewest home points (37), lost the most home games (17) and scored the fewest home goals (32).
- Everton have won just one of their last 15 Premier League games (D6 L8), while their last two wins in the competition have come against Burnley (2-0 in December, 1-0 earlier this month).
- Everton have conceded 48 Premier League goals this season, having shipped 66 in 2021-22 and 57 last term. They last conceded 50+ in three consecutive 38-game campaigns between 1907-08 and 1909-10.
- Including penalties, Nottingham Forest have scored both the joint fewest total goals (6) and lowest percentage of goals (14%) from set pieces this season. Meanwhile, they’ve also conceded the highest total goals (25) and highest percentage (43%) of goals from set pieces this term.
- Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has scored 12 goals from 31 shots in the Premier League this season, the best conversion rate of any player with 10+ attempts (38.7%).
Odds correct at 1715 BST (18/04/24)
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