Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest Picks and Predictions for Friday October 23 2026
Forest are favorites Friday night, and I’m having a hard time understanding why anybody would be rushing to back them. Three straight league defeats, one goal scored during that stretch, and now they’re going to Portman Road to face an Ipswich side that just gave Manchester City a scare. Forest might have the better squad on paper. They’ve certainly not been playing like it.
Ipswich Town hosts Nottingham Forest at Portman Road in Ipswich, England, on Friday, October 23, 2026. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 PM ET. Forest are around +125 on the three-way moneyline, Ipswich are +210, and the draw is +255. The goals total is 2.5. There’s more football coverage in our free soccer picks. Get in on all the action with our free soccer picks.
Ipswich Town Have Been Giving Opponents Problems
Ipswich are 3-0-4 with nine points from seven Premier League games. That’s not a bad start considering the opposition they’ve faced. They lost 3-2 at Manchester City last Saturday, and there’s no great shame in that. City have won every league game they’ve played. Ipswich were competitive enough to make the leaders work for their three points. Before that, they beat Fulham 2-1, giving them two wins in their last four league outings.
The defense is still a headache. Ipswich have scored 11 and conceded 15, which works out to more than two allowed per match. They can get forward and create something, but they’re not particularly good at shutting the door afterward. That probably explains why their games have been entertaining. Forest don’t carry anything like City’s attacking threat, though. If Ipswich can keep the visitors from finding space behind their defenders, they’ve got a reasonable chance of winning this.
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Leif Davis has two league goals from left back, while Emersonn Correia da Silva has also scored twice. Julio Enciso has supplied two assists, although his fitness needs checking before kickoff. Issahaku Fatawu is suspended, taking away another attacking option. Davis will be important getting forward, but he can’t forget his defensive work. Forest may be struggling to score, yet leaving their forwards a clear run at goal would be asking for trouble.
Nottingham Forest Need Somebody To Score
Forest have one win, two draws, and four defeats through seven matches. Five points. That’s a miserable return for a club that expected better, and the recent results aren’t helping anybody’s mood. Arsenal beat them 1-0 last weekend, Crystal Palace won 3-1 before that, and Coventry also shut them out. Their last league victory came against Aston Villa in September. It’s been a while.
Here’s the strange part. Forest have conceded nine goals, six fewer than Ipswich, so their defensive numbers aren’t terrible. They’re allowing roughly 1.3 per match. But they’ve scored only five. You can defend reasonably well and still lose every week when nobody’s putting the ball in the net. Forest have created chances without doing enough with them. That’s a problem against Ipswich, because the home side is likely to give them a few opportunities. Forest actually have to finish one.
Dan Ndoye has two league goals and is one of the visitors’ more reliable shooting threats. Morgan Gibbs-White has created 17 chances and supplied two assists, although his fitness is a concern. Liam Delap offers another option up front. Igor Jesus and Nicolo Savona are injured, while Nikola Milenkovic has also been dealing with a knee problem. Those absences don’t help a side already having a difficult time.
Ipswich Town vs Nottingham Forest Picks and Predictions
Ipswich Town Moneyline (+210)
I’m going against the favorite. Forest have better defensive numbers, and I can understand somebody looking at Ipswich conceding 15 goals and deciding the visitors are due a win. But Forest have scored five times in seven matches. Five. Ipswich have already beaten Fulham and Crystal Palace, and they scored twice against Manchester City. At +210, I’ll take the home side to make Forest pay for another poor attacking performance. There’s risk here because Ipswich can be careless defensively, but the price makes that worth considering.
Over 2.5 Goals
Ipswich have been involved in some lively games. Their last two finished 3-2 and 2-1, and they’ve conceded at least twice in four of their seven league matches. Forest aren’t scoring much, which is the obvious worry with an over, but Ipswich have enough defensive issues to give them a chance. I can see Forest finally finding a goal or two and still failing to win. Ipswich 2, Nottingham Forest 1.
Final Picks: Ipswich Town Moneyline (+210) and Over 2.5 Goals
This preview was completed October 21, 2026. Betting prices, injuries, and starting lineups may change before kickoff.
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