Add as preferred source on Google

Nottingham Forest are in action on Friday night as they take on Sunderland in the North East.

Vitor Pereira’s side know a win would near enough secure their top-flight status, as they’d move onto 39 points.

Opta’s supercomputer expects Nottingham Forest to finish on 42 points, so the data suggests they should survive relegation.

Do you agree with Mark Clattenburg’s comments on Omari Hutchinson and James McAtee?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Ahead of the clash, former Arsenal playmaker and now pundit Paul Merson has given his score prediction.

Paul Merson predicts Nottingham Forest defeat vs Sunderland

Writing in his Sportskeeda column, Merson has predicted Nottingham Forest to suffer defeat at the Stadium of Light.

However, he does still expect the club to survive relegation.

“If Nottingham Forest lose this game, and both Tottenham and West Ham win on Saturday, the relegation battle becomes tight,” Merson explained.

“Wolves and Burnley are already relegated and with Leeds finding some form, it is between Forest, West Ham and Spurs now.

Is this how you want Nottingham Forest to line up vs Sunderland?

What changes would you make to this team?

It was a must-win game for Forest last weekend against Burnley and they will be confident after that 4-1 win.

“Forest will definitely have one eye on their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa next Thursday. No matter what situation they are in, a European semi-final is a big occasion for this club.”

Merson continued: “I also think Forest will be safe at the end of the season. I can see them winning another Premier League game, but not this weekend.”

Merson’s prediction: Sunderland 1-0 Nottingham Forest

Remarkably, these two sides have only met each other once since 2017, and that clash came earlier this season.

28 Dec 2004Nottingham Forest v SunderlandL1-2Championship27 Aug 2008Nottingham Forest v SunderlandL1-2League Cup12 Sep 2017Sunderland v Nottingham ForestW0-1Championship30 Dec 2017Nottingham Forest v SunderlandL0-1Championship27 Sep 2025Nottingham Forest v SunderlandL0-1Premier League

Forest suffered defeat that day, with centre-back Omar Alderete netting the only goal of the game, so they’ll be keen to right that wrong on Friday night.

Join Our Newsletter

Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox