Forest team news: Wieffer could start, Joao Pedro to be assessed

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Albion host Forest on Sunday.

Charlie Hanson

2024-09-20T11:10+01:00

Mats Wieffer is in contention to start against Nottingham Forest. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

Albion will be aiming to make it five unbeaten in the Premier League when they take on Nottingham Forest at the Amex on Sunday, kick-off 2pm.

Team news

Joao Pedro will be assessed in training before a decision can be made on the level of his involvement, while Fabian Hurzeler provided an update on Brajan Gruda, Matt O'Riley and James Milner.

Joao Pedro scored in his last outing - the 1-1 draw with Arsenal. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

On Joao Pedro: "He will train with the team on Friday and then we have to see how it's going – if he can train fully, if he can do all the movements. We won't take any risk, but he will be part of the training."

On Brajan Gruda, Matt O'Riley and James Milner: "The rehab players continue their training. I'm really happy to see them working. Brajan Gruda is back on the pitch. I think he will be returning in the next few days to the team training.

"Matt O’Riley is in very good shape, who's also training in the gym, doing different stuff. James Milner’s progress is good. I'm happy that all the players are working hard on their comeback and I'm hoping that they will be back soon."

On Mats Wieffer's availability to start: "He will be an option. Yes."

Fabian’s thoughts

On Forest: "I'm not surprised [by their good start]. I think they have great individual players. They have a good style of play. They have a good compactness. They defend well.

"They have very good transition moments, so when they win the ball they move it quickly. They made a great start in the Premier League and I'm not surprised. It will be a big challenge for us."

On improving set pieces: "That's a phase of the game where we can improve because for me set pieces can be a match winner, they can be a game changer and we work hard on them.

Pascal Gross was Albion's set-piece taker during his seven years with the club. 📷 by Paul Hazlewood.

"It is something that won't happen overnight, it's a process. We lost with Pascal [Gross] a great set-piece taker. So I think he took about 140 set pieces [last season]. You can't replace that easily. You have to build a new taker. You have to know the players, the weapons, who can make the cross to this zone, who can make the cross to that zone.

"These are all things we’re in the process of at the moment. Even if it takes time, it won't happen overnight, but we keep working on it."

Match facts

Brighton have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four home league games against Nottingham Forest (W3 D1), having lost the previous two while conceding three goals each time.
Having been unbeaten in eight top-flight meetings with Brighton between 1980 and 2023 (W6 D2), Nottingham Forest lost home and away against the Seagulls last season.
Brighton are unbeaten so far in the Premier League this season (W2 D2) – they’ve never remained without defeat in their first five games of a top-flight season, last doing so in any division in the 2015-16 Championship.
Brighton have drawn their last two Premier League games. Indeed, of all teams to have played in more than campaign in the competition, the Seagulls have seen the highest share of their games finish level (32.2% - 87/270).
Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games (W3 D2), winning two and drawing two so far this season. They last remained without defeat in their first five league games in 2018-19 (Championship), and last did so in the top-flight in 1995-96.
Nottingham Forest have won their last four Premier League away games, more than they had in their first 36 on the road following their return to the division in 2022 (W3 D9 L24). They last won five consecutive away games (any division) in January 1994, and last did so in the top-flight in March 1989.
Nottingham Forest have had more direct attacks (12) than any other side in the Premier League so far this season, while only West Ham (12) have had more such attacks against them than Brighton (10).
Nottingham Forest have scored exactly once in all five of their games in all competitions this season (4x league, 1x League Cup). The last top-flight club to score exactly once in their first six games of a season was Forest themselves in 1988-89 (5x league, 1x centenary trophy).
Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke has made the most ball carries (116) in the Premier League this season, and subsequently carried the ball the furthest distance (1149 metres) of any player so far.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White has created more chances from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season (11).