How to bet on Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest

Forest’s decision to part ways with Nuno Espírito Santo was shocking, and Postecoglou’s style is very different. The result could be fascinating.

Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

A new man at the helm

Espírito Santo had a fantastic season with the Garibaldis last time out, guiding them to a seventh-place finish and a return to European football. He was well-liked and successful, but it became clear over the summer that his relationship with Evangelos Marinakis had become strained. Ultimately, his exit seemed inevitable.

His departure was confirmed this week, and 13 hours later, Postecoglou was announced as his successor. He joins after guiding Spurs to the Europa League title last season, but his style may clash with the squad’s previous approach. The Aussie and his predecessor at the City Ground play very different football - it could take a while for the players to grasp the change.

Both teams ended up scoring in 61% of Spurs’ Premier League games last season, and 63% of them saw over 2.5 goals scored. Their goal difference of -1, despite scoring 64 times, says a lot about the way their 2024/25 season went - and Postecoglou’s gung-ho approach. If his time in Nottinghamshire goes anything like his spell in London, then we should see plenty of goals.

Forest were major overachievers last season in terms of xG, with their +5.25 increase the second-best in the division. How they’ll cope with life under the new manager despite not really expanding their squad over the summer is something we’re all interested to see.

Prepare for plenty of goals

Postecoglou proved to be a bit of a divisive figure during his time at Spurs - some loved him and some hated him. His second year was pretty awful, but he did deliver the trophy that they’ve been waiting for so long. 

Now, Forest have hired a European champion, that’s a fact. The difference is, however, that he probably won’t have the same squad depth he enjoyed at Spurs. Also, he didn’t have the chance to shape the side, as his appointment came after the transfer window had closed. 

An interesting run of games awaits as he settles in. Arsenal at the Emirates is a big one for obvious reasons, and then they travel to Swansea City in the Carabao Cup. Then comes an away league clash with Burnley before Forest kick off their European campaign in Spain against Real Betis.

All four matches could produce plenty of goals. The Gunners pose the biggest threat, of course, and a defeat wouldn’t be surprising as a new era begins. The Australian hasn’t had long to try and implement anything, so it’ll be interesting to see how he approaches his first game.

Swansea will offer a chance to experiment with a few things, so that could be an open game. Three of the Swans’ six games so far have seen them both score and concede. A mix of a new system and players trying to impress the new manager could make for an exciting tie.

Then there’s a game away at the Clarets, who’ve had a mixed start. Their only win in the league up to now came against newly-promoted Sunderland, but they did score two in their defeat at Manchester United. Forest should probably have too much for them, but Scott Parker will be confident of his side getting amongst the goals on home soil