Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest Preview, Predictions & Betting Tips
Our Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest prediction, betting tips and William Hill odds for Friday night at Portman Road, where kick-off is 20:00 BST on 23 October 2026.
Ipswich have won three of their seven league games but have conceded 15 times. Forest arrive having lost their last three, so this is not a straightforward away case — but they have shipped nine goals to Ipswich’s 15, and that six-goal gap in defensive output is what decides it.
The recommendation is Nottingham Forest to win at 5/4. It is a three-star call rather than a strong one: Forest’s recent results argue against them, and Ipswich have home advantage and the cleaner injury list. The case rests on the defensive records, not on current form.
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest predictions
| Market | Prediction | Confidence | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match result | Nottingham Forest to win | 3 stars | Forest have conceded nine goals to Ipswich’s 15 across the same number of games, and the home side’s scoring has not covered that gap. |
| Correct score | 1-2 at 15/2 | 3 stars | Follows the same match shape as the main selection — an away win by a single goal. |
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest odds
William Hill’s current Match Result prices are 2/1 for Ipswich Town, 9/4 for the draw and 5/4 for Nottingham Forest. The Correct Score selection is 1-2 at 15/2. Prices were checked on 23 October 2026; our William Hill review has the current new-customer terms.
| Bookmaker | Ipswich Town | Draw | Nottingham Forest | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Hill | 2/1 | 9/4 | 5/4 | Claim Offer |
How the teams shape up
The table positions and recent scorelines are the starting point, but what decides this is whether Forest can keep the game in front of them without conceding the transition chances that have cost them in each of their last three. Ipswich’s 15 goals conceded in seven is the higher total by a clear margin, and it is the single sharpest separation between the sides.
That is a fixture-specific case rather than a generic statistical comparison: the price is being judged against each side’s actual recent record, their defensive output and the conditions created by this venue.
Ipswich Town form and analysis
Ipswich Town have recently lost 2-3 away at Manchester City, beaten Fulham 2-1 at home and lost 0-1 away at Everton. Those results are why this preview does not treat the league table as a verdict: the pattern of performances, the venue and the defensive record all carry weight in deciding whether the price is justified.
At Portman Road, the key is whether Ipswich can keep the game in the areas that suit them. The raw goals total is not the test — game control, defensive concentration and the quality of the chances conceded matter more, and our over/under 2.5 goals tips cover how that reads across the goals markets.
Nottingham Forest form and analysis
Nottingham Forest have recently lost 0-1 at home to Arsenal, lost 1-3 away at Crystal Palace and lost 0-1 at home to Coventry City. Three straight defeats would normally rule a side out as an away selection.
What keeps Forest in it is the margin: two of those three were by a single goal, and nine conceded in seven is still six fewer than Ipswich have shipped. Travelling to Portman Road, the question is whether they can impose that same control away from home. Both teams have scored in five of the last eight meetings between these clubs, a pattern our BTTS tips page follows across the weekend.
Team news
Ipswich Town: Jack Taylor remains the only confirmed injury concern after the latest club update.
Nottingham Forest: Nikola Milenković is expected to miss out, while Jair Cunha has trained and will be assessed after the session.
Head-to-head
Nottingham Forest have won five of the last eight meetings, Ipswich Town one, with two drawn. Those eight produced 25 goals at 3.1 a game, both teams scored in five of them and four went over 2.5.
The caveat is the split. Only the three most recent meetings came with both clubs in the Premier League: a 4-2 Forest win at Portman Road and a 1-1 draw in March 2025, and a 1-0 Forest win in November 2024. The other five date from 2017 to 2019 in the Championship. Forest are unbeaten in the last three either way.
| Date | Fixture | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 15 March 2025 | Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest | 2-4 |
| 3 March 2025 | Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town | 1-1 |
| 30 November 2024 | Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town | 1-0 |
| 16 March 2019 | Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest | 1-1 |
| 1 December 2018 | Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town | 2-0 |
| 14 April 2018 | Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town | 2-1 |
| 2 December 2017 | Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest | 4-2 |
| 7 May 2017 | Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town | 3-0 |
Our verdict
Nottingham Forest to win at 5/4 is the selection, and it is a three-star call. The case is the six-goal gap in what the two sides have conceded, plus a head-to-head in which Forest are unbeaten in the last three. The case against is Forest’s own run of three defeats and Ipswich’s home advantage. The linked Correct Score choice is 1-2 at 15/2, priced as a separate recommendation rather than as evidence for the match-result pick. The rest of the round is covered in our Premier League predictions, and the strongest single call of the day sits in Bet of the Day.
More from FootballTips
Read our correct score tips and the rest of this week’s match previews.
