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

Nottingham Forest will be looking to finish their pre-season campaign on a positive note when they welcome Brest to the City Ground for their final friendly on Sunday.

Forest returned to winning ways against Bayer Leverkusen after three consecutive defeats, while Brest arrive in England unbeaten in their last three matches.

Match preview

Forest have moved in a fresh direction under Oliver Glasner, with the biggest talking point of the summer being the departure of Elliot Anderson, who joined Manchester City in a £116m deal.

The club have moved quickly to reshape their squad, bringing in Xaver Schlager on a free transfer from RB Leipzig, while Gustavo Sa and Ousmane Diomande have also arrived from Famalicao and Sporting respectively.

Forest began pre-season with three wins and a draw from their opening four matches before suffering three consecutive away defeats against Sporting, Udinese and Barcelona.

However, a 90th-minute goal from Arnaud Kalimuendo earned Forest a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen last time out, and Glasner will now be eager to carry that momentum into the 2026-27 Premier League opener against Leeds United.

Brest endured a disappointing 2025-26 Ligue 1 campaign, finishing 12th in the table with 39 points from 34 matches.

The Pirates scored 43 goals and conceded 55 times last season, and have looked to strengthen their squad with the additions of centre-back Gautier Lloris, defensive midfielder Mamady Diambou and Joseph Nonge.

Julien Lachuer's side failed to win any of their first three pre-season matches, conceding seven goals in the process, before recording a 2-1 victory over Stade Briochin.

They now head into Sunday's contest on the back of a 2-2 draw with Venezia, where Ludovic Ajorque struck an 88th-minute equaliser, and are unbeaten in their last three matches.

Nottingham Forest Club Friendlies 3 form:

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

Brest Club Friendlies 3 form:

Brest form (all competitions):

Team News

Glasner is once again likely to rotate his squad heavily, giving his players another opportunity to impress and build their fitness ahead of the new season.

Chris Wood is doubtful for Sunday's contest, but Glasner otherwise has a clean bill of health, and it would come as little surprise if he once again made wholesale changes during the match.

Lachuer has implemented a 4-2-3-1 system, with Ajorque, who scored eight goals last season, expected to play a key role in Brest's attack this term.

Kamory Doumbia, Mama Balde and Romain Del Castillo have all found the net in Brest's last two matches, offering an encouraging sign that their attacking unit is beginning to click ahead of the new campaign.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Diomande, Milenkovic, Murillo; Aina, Schlager, Gibbs-White, Sangare, Williams; Ndoye, Jesus

Brest possible starting lineup:

Coudert; Lala, Chardonnet, Le Guen, Locko; Chotard, Tousart; Del Castillo, Doumbia, Balde; Ajourque

We say: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Brest

With this being the final match for both sides before the new season begins, Nottingham Forest and Brest will be eager to finish their pre-season campaigns on a positive note.

Forest are unbeaten at home, while Brest have not lost any of their last three matches, and with both sides likely to adopt an attacking approach, we can see an end-to-end contest finishing all square.

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