Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest Prediction: O’Neil’s Pragmatists Face Glasner’s Rebuild

Ipswich Town host Nottingham Forest at Portman Road on 23 October 2026, a Premier League Matchweek 8 fixture that means very different things to each side. Ipswich sit tenth with nine points from seven games while Forest are nineteenth with five points and no wins, a position that makes this closer to a must not lose than a must win for Glasner's side.

Ipswich arrive with an alternating L W L W L record across their last five, their most recent outing the 2-3 home defeat to Manchester City on 17 October. That result is worth keeping in mind: they played well enough in patches and showed they can keep the ball at home but they still conceded three. Forest's form reads D W L L L, including a 0-1 loss at Arsenal on 18 October and Glasner has not yet found a way to make his side hard to beat.

Gary O'Neil, appointed on 23 June after replacing Kieran McKenna, has built a pragmatic and direct style around Davis's overlap and delivery from the left flank and set piece organisation, a system that has kept them in games even when they have lost, including the 2-3 against City. Oliver Glasner, in charge since 6 July, is without Igor Jesus until around 31 October and Nicolo Savona for the same period, both sidelined by injury. Jesus's absence hurts most in terms of holding the line and letting wide players run beyond him, which is exactly the outlet Forest lack right now.

Ipswich operate in a 4-2-3-1. Leif Davis is the primary threat down the left, contributing both goals and assists from advanced positions, while Julio Enciso provides the creative link through the middle and has shown a knack for influencing the outcome of close matches. O'Neil will look to stretch Forest's defensive shape using Davis's overlapping runs and Enciso's movement between the lines and the gap Savona normally fills on Forest's right is the obvious place to target. Forest favour an attacking 3-4-2-1, though the shape is under strain. Morgan Gibbs-White is doubtful with a minor muscle concern, adding further uncertainty to a side already missing Jesus and Savona. Dan Ndoye runs in behind and carries at defenders but without Jesus to hold the line, he may have to drop deeper at times, flattening the forward line and reducing how much Forest can stretch Ipswich's defensive shape with diagonal runs. Ipswich's double pivot can slow Forest's progressive carries, whereas Enciso's movement will test the space Savona's absence opens on Forest's right, Forest's wide midfielders will need to work harder to compensate but offering more width risks creating exactly the channels Davis thrives in.

Ipswich's set piece delivery, primarily through Davis from the left, is one of their most reliable routes to goal and Forest have looked shaky defending them lately. The 2-3 loss to City showed Ipswich can play but also that they will give up goals at home, which matters here because Forest can hurt teams on the counter even when they are not dominant.

Ipswich Town 1-2 Nottingham Forest. A Forest victory takes them to eight points, which at this stage of the season would lift them clear of the sides directly below and give Glasner's rebuild something to stand on before the next international break. Even without Jesus and with Gibbs-White uncertain, Forest can score on the counter and if Gibbs-White does play, he is a midfielder who carries into the final third and combines in tight spaces, the sort of movement Ipswich's defence has not always dealt well with this season. Davis and Enciso will create at home, as they usually do but Ipswich's defensive record suggests they will give something away whether from a set piece or a swift Forest transition. Savona's absence on the right gives Davis a channel to exploit all night but it also leaves Forest exposed to exactly the kind of delivery that has unlocked defences all season. The set piece vulnerability is what tips this: Forest need to score first and hold on and on the evidence of recent weeks, Ipswich will oblige by giving them at least one opportunity from a dead ball at the other end.