Preview:Burnley vs Nottingham Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

Burnley and Nottingham Forest will both be looking to end their ongoing losing streaks when they clash at Turf Moor on Saturday on matchday five of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The hosts have suffered back-to-back defeats heading into Saturday's encounter, while the visitors have lost their last three matches, including their first two under new boss Ange Postecoglou.

Match preview

Burnley, following their promotion from the EFL Championship last season, are aiming to avoid a repeat of their immediate relegation in 2023-24.

Scott Parker's side have had a challenging start to their Premier League return, suffering three defeats and recording only one victory, leaving them 17th in the table and only above the bottom three on goal difference.

However, Burnley have had one of the toughest opening run of fixtures of any team in the division, having already faced Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Liverpool, while their sole victory came against fellow promoted side and expected relegation rivals Sunderland.

Despite their difficult fixture list and three defeats from four games, there have been plenty of encouraging signs from Burnley, as they were particularly dominant against the Black Cats and proved a tough test for both Man Utd and Liverpool.

Parker's men twice battled from behind to level with Man Utd heading into the final minutes, only for a stoppage-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes to break Burnley hearts.

An almost identical outcome occurred against the champions last weekend, as Mohamed Salah's 95th-minute penalty broke the deadlock and secured Liverpool a narrow 1-0 win.

Now faced with another tough matchup on paper, Burnley take on Nottingham Forest on Saturday, though their visitors' poor form will leave the Clarets hoping to snap their losing streak, and, despite results, their recent performances provide reason for optimism.

As for Saturday's travelling team, the Tricky Trees have endured a tumultuous start to the 2025-26 campaign, including the shock departure of Nuno Espirito Santo and arrival of Postecoglou.

Forest opened the term with a strong 3-1 win over Brentford, followed by a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace and a miserable 3-0 defeat to West Ham United.

While the club would have been disappointed with that start to the season, belief in Santo remained strong among the fanbase after leading the club to a surprise seventh-placed finish last term, but the manager was given no time to repay that faith.

Shocking news broke during the September international break that Santo had been sacked from his managerial position, coming just days after the Portuguese boss stated his relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis was not as good as it was last term, while he also openly criticised senior figures overseeing their summer transfer strategy.

Postecoglou was swiftly appointed, but the former Tottenham Hotspur boss has failed to have the desired impact in his first two games at the helm, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal followed by a lacklustre 3-2 loss to Swansea in the EFL Cup - which saw Forest squander a two-goal lead.

Postecoglou will be hoping to finally secure his first win as Nottingham Forest boss when they take on Burnley on Saturday, especially ahead of a first Europa League clash with Real Betis on Wednesday.

Burnley Premier League form:

Burnley form (all competitions):

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

Team News

Burnley will be without the services of Jordan Beyer, Connor Roberts and Zeki Amdouni due to ongoing injury issues, while Jacob Bruun Larsen is a doubt due to a knock sustained on international duty.

Lesley Ugochukwu will also be unavailable for selection after receiving a red card in the defeat to Liverpool, meaning Josh Cullen could partner Josh Laurent at the base of midfield.

Further forward, Lyle Foster and Jaidon Anthony have shown promising glimpses during the opening stages of the season and should both start, with Loum Tchaouna and Hannibal Mejbri potentially completing the attacking quartet.

Meanwhile, Ola Aina and Nicolas Dominguez are both ruled out for Nottingham Forest, while Murillo is also a doubt after sustaining an injury in the defeat to Arsenal.

Nicola Savona could start instead of Murillo, with Morato shifting into a more central area to partner Nikola Milenkovic in the back-two, while Neco Williams will play in the opposite full-back position.

Igor Jesus may be knocking on the door for a first Premier League start after scoring twice in the eventual loss to Swansea last time out, but top scorer and talisman Chris Wood is expected to return as the starting striker.

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Walker, Ekdal, Esteve, Hartman; Cullen, Laurent; Tchaouna, Mejbri, Anthony; Foster

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

We say: Burnley 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Burnley may have lost three of their four league matches, but the Clarets have been competitive in every game this term, and we expect another strong performance when they host Nottingham Forest.

The Tricky Trees have had a disastrous start under Postecoglou, and while we expect an improved performance against Burnley on Saturday, we believe the new manager will be kept waiting for his first win, as we predict this game to end all square.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.