Exeter vs Nottingham Forest: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Exeter vs Nottingham Forest: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

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90min

·10 February 2025

Exeter vs Nottingham Forest: Preview, predictions and lineups

Article image:Exeter vs Nottingham Forest: Preview, predictions and lineups

The FA Cup fourth round concludes on Tuesday night as Nottingham Forest face League One side Exeter City away from home.

The weekend's action showed that there's still life in the cup, and Liverpool's exit to Plymouth has opened up the competition with Arsenal and Chelsea out as well. Forest, given how well they've performed in the Premier League this term, will fancy their chances of enjoying a deep run.


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Nuno Espirito Santo's side downed Championship strugglers Luton Town 2-0 in the third round last month, while Exeter upset Oxford United to advance. Since then, though, Tuesday's hosts have failed to win in League One and they head into this cup tie off the back of three consecutive defeats.

Forest, meanwhile, emphatically recovered from their 5-0 loss at Bournemouth two weeks ago by putting seven past Brighton in a remarkable Premier League victory last weekend.

Here is 90min's guide to Tuesday's FA Cup fourth round tie.

What time does Exeter vs Nottingham Forest kick-off?

Exeter vs Nottingham Forest H2H record (All Games)

  1. Last meeting: Exeter 0-5 Nottingham Forest (21 April 1951) - Division Three

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Exeter vs Nottingham Forest on TV - UK and US

Exeter team news

Article image:Exeter vs Nottingham Forest: Preview, predictions and lineups

Former Premier League defender Gary Caldwell is the man in charge at Exeter / Andrew Vaughan/GettyImages

Exeter's downturn cannot be attributed to injuries, and manager Gary Caldwell is set to have a full cohort of players available for Forest's visit.

We'll likely see a similar starting XI from their third-round victory over Oxford Utd, with a back three protecting Joe Whitworth's goal. Demetri Mitchell scored a brace in Exeter's 3-1 triumph last month, and he'll likely operate off the shoulder of striker Josh Magennis.

Exeter predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest

Exeter predicted lineup vs Forest (3-4-2-1): Whitworth; Fitzwater, Hartridge, Francis; McMillan, Woods, Richards, Harper; Mitchell, Watts; Magennis.

Nottingham Forest team news

Article image:Exeter vs Nottingham Forest: Preview, predictions and lineups

Callum Hudson-Odoi is dealing with a groin injury / Dan Istitene/GettyImages

Nuno Espirito Santo made wholesale changes for the third-round triumph over Luton, and we should expect similar rotation from last week's beatdown of Brighton. Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood are likely to occupy the bench, with star defenders Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic also earning respite.

A lack of injuries has been key in Forest's success this term, and Callum Hudson-Odoi is their only concern heading into this fixture after Danilo made his comeback from a long-term leg injury last month.

Hudson-Odoi is unlikely to feature with a groin injury.

Nottingham Forest predicted vs Exeter

Forest predicted lineup vs Exeter (4-2-3-1): Miguel; Williams, Boly, Morato, Toffolo; Yates, Dominguez; Jota, Anderson, Sosa; Awoniyi.

Championship strugglers Plymouth completed an almighty upset on Sunday, and Exeter will surely be emboldened by what went down at Home Park.

They won't be facing Forest's strongest XI on Tuesday night with Espirito Santo likely to use the extremities of his squad given their current Premier League position. They're hunting a Champions League berth and the manager will have one eye cast towards Saturday's trip to Fulham.

Despite the rotation and the projected depth of Exeter's defence, Forest are unlikely to face any major issues on Tuesday night. They should advance into the fifth round without much fuss.

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