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

Wrexham will welcome Premier League Nottingham Forest to the Racecourse Ground for an FA Cup third-round matchup on Friday night.

The hosts have won all of their last four games heading into this one, while the visitors have won one and lost four of their last five.

Match preview

Wrexham have enjoyed a sensational and rapid rise up the English football pyramid in recent seasons since their high-profile takeover in early 2021.

The Red Dragons were promoted from the National League in 2022-23, League Two in 2023-24 and League One in 2024-25, and they are now fighting for the chance at promotion from the Championship.

Phil Parkinson's side are ninth in the Championship with 40 points from 26 league fixtures, having recorded 10 wins, 10 draws and suffered only six defeats.

Wrexham have especially strengthened their push for a playoff place in recent weeks, ending a challenging run of five games without a win by claiming four consecutive victories, leaving them in superb form and confidence coming into this one.

However, the Red Dragons will face their toughest test of the campaign thus far on Friday, as they host Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest at the Racecourse Ground.

The Tricky Trees are enduring a difficult time in the Premier League, especially in comparison to the heights they reached in the 2024-25 season.

Nottingham Forest recorded an impressive seventh-placed finish in the English top flight last term, accumulating 65 points thanks to 19 wins, eight draws and only 11 defeats, securing Europa League football in the process.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked early in the new term after one win, one draw and one loss due to a disagreement with the board, leading to Ange Postecoglou swiftly being appointed.

Postecoglou had a disastrous spell in charge of the Tricky Trees, failing to win a single of his eight matches before his dismissal, eventually leaving the role having suffered six defeats and two draws.

Sean Dyche was appointed as Forest's third manager of the campaign in late October, and while there have been clear improvements, Nottingham Forest remain 17th in the table with 21 points from 21 games.

Dyche's side most recently ended a four-game losing run with a crucial 2-1 triumph over West Ham United last time out, extending their lead over the drop zone to a healthy seven points.

Aiming to build on that victory and avoid another losing run, Dyche will be eager for his side to show their quality in this clash against lower league opposition in the FA Cup third round.

Wrexham form (all competitions):

W W W W L D

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

W L L L L W

Team News

Wrexham are dealing with several availability issues heading into this match, with Aaron James, Andy Cannon, Danny Ward, Elliot Lee, Kieffer Moore, Lewis Brunt and Ryan Hardie all set to miss out.

Following their fourth consecutive victory at the weekend, defeating Derby County 2-1, Parkinson could look to name an unchanged starting team against Nottingham Forest in this one.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are without Dan Ndoye, John Victor, Ryan Yates and Chris Wood due to a series of injury issues.

Despite ending their four-game losing streak with a win over West Ham earlier this week, Dyche could make numerous changes to his starting team to rotate and keep his side fresh ahead of their upcoming Premier League matches.

As a result, the likes of Nicolo Savona, Douglas Luiz and James McAtee could come into the starting team.

Wrexham possible starting lineup:

Okonkwo; Cleworth, Hyam, Doyle; James, Sheaf; Longman, Windass, Broadhead, Thomason; Smith

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Anderson, Luiz; McAtee, Gibbs-White, Bakwa; Jesus

We say: Wrexham 1-3 Nottingham Forest

Wrexham will be full of confidence given their impressive recent record, but Nottingham Forest undoubtedly boast the stronger squad, and the visitors should seal an ultimately comfortable victory.

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