Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest Tips & Preview – Aina's Forest face crucial test on Wearside

Tolu Shotade

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Last updated: Wed 22 Apr 2026 17:03

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Sunderland targeting top-six EPL finish, strong home form.
Nottingham Forest aiming to avoid relegation, on a 7-game unbeaten streak.
Sunderland won the last 6 of 7 meetings, including the reverse fixture.

Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest

A lot is on the line on Friday night when Sunderland welcome Nottingham Forest to the Stadium of Light for an English Premier League clash.

The hosts have their eyes set on a possible top-six finish, while Forest are looking to put further distance between themselves and the bottom three.

Sunderland News

Sunderland continue to enjoy their return to the Premier League and are guaranteed another season in the top flight. Despite a painful 4-3 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend, they showed serious resilience, tying the game after initially going down 3-0.

The Black Cats are 11th in the table, just four points off the top six with five matches left. European football is within reach, and three wins in their last five league games shows they could finish strong. They have scored in seven of their last 10 matches, keeping three clean sheets in that run.

Regis Le Bris' side have been solid at home, losing just three of their last 15 matches at the Stadium of Light, with seven wins and five draws recorded. Sunderland's matches have been tightly contested, but over 2.5 goals have appeared in four of their last 10 home games.

Nottingham Forest News

Nottingham Forest are not fully out of the woods yet, but a commanding 4-1 win over Burnley in their last match gave them a big push towards survival, with Nigeria’s Ola Aina playing the full 90 minutes.

Vitor Pereira's men are currently 16th in the league, and a win here would see them temporarily open an eight-point lead over the bottom three. They have gained momentum at the right time, coming into this clash on a seven-game unbeaten streak, managing four wins and three draws.

Forest's attack has shone in recent weeks, scoring in eight of their last 10, but three clean sheets in that run highlight defensive frailties. The Tricky Trees have also found some joy on the road, unbeaten in their last four away games, with two of those ending in a draw. Meanwhile, seven of their last 10 away fixtures have produced over 2.5 goals.

Head to Head

Sunderland have managed seven wins in the last 10 competitive meetings compared to Nottingham Forest's two. The Black Cats won the reverse fixture 1-0, and have won six of their last seven encounters.

Verdict

Sunderland v Nottm Forest

Sunderland have scored in seven of their last 10. Forest have netted in eight of those games, setting the tone for goals at both ends in this one.

The hosts are solid at home, losing just three of their last 15 games on their own turf. Another strong display could see them avoid defeat. Forest have played out over 2.5 goals in seven of their last 10 travels and should force an open contest at the Stadium of Light.

Yes

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