Nottingham Forest lineup vs. Bournemouth: Predicted XI for Premier League clash after Europa League victory

New Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche prepares for his first Premier League match in charge as the Reds travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth on Sunday. 

Dyche began his tenure in positive fashion in midweek, overseeing a 2-0 Europa League victory over Porto thanks to penalties from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus.

The visitors will, however, make the trip south without Ola Aina, who remains sidelined until early January with a hamstring injury, leaving Dyche short of options at right-back. 

Dilane Bakwa is also a doubt after missing recent training sessions, while Oleksandr Zinchenko appeared to hurt his groin on Thursday, further limiting Forest’s attacking flexibility.

Defensively, Forest are expected to stick with a sturdy back five, featuring Neco Williams, Nicolo Savona, Murillo, Morato, and Nikola Milenkovic forming a compact and disciplined unit.

Dyche’s sides are typically well-drilled, and that defensive structure will be key to containing Bournemouth’s fluid front line.

In midfield, the partnership of Douglas Luiz and Ibrahim Sangare offers strength and control in central areas, with Elliot Anderson expected to push slightly higher to link play between the lines.

Out wide, Callum Hudson-Odoi could feature again after impressing in the Europa League win over Porto and will look to fight for a place in the starting lineup, while Gibbs-White is likely to continue in his familiar attacking role supporting the striker.

Up front, Chris Wood is in line to reclaim his starting spot after being limited to 16 minutes against Chelsea last weekend. However, Jesus, who impressed in midweek with a composed display against Porto, is also pushing for a start as Dyche experiments with his attacking options.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup: Sels; Savona, Murillo, Morato, Milenkovic, Williams; Anderson, Sangare, Luiz; Wood, Gibbs-White

> Click here to see how Bournemouth could line up for this game