Taiwo Awoniyi has had this date circled since last month, but he won't make it.
The striker Coventry City signed from Nottingham Forest in the summer serves the second game of a three-match ban on Saturday and will miss his return to the City Ground.
It's the last thing the Sky Blues needed too. They come into Saturday’s game bottom of the Premier League, still without having scored their first league goal of the season.
Forest, by contrast, are unbeaten in three and have won the last six meetings between these clubs when playing at home. Find out everything you need to know ahead of this one below.
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City – Match Facts
- Competition: Premier League, Matchweek 5
- Date: Saturday, 19 September 2026
- Kick-off: 5.30pm
- Venue: City Ground, Nottingham
Betting Odds
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City Betting Odds – Premier League 2026/27
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Nottingham Forest Win | 8/13 | 61.9% |
Coventry City Win | 15/4 | 21.1% |
Draw | 14/5 | 26.3% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Nottingham Forest are the favourites to win this fixture at 8/13, with Coventry City the underdogs at 15/4 and the draw priced at 14/5.
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How to Watch
How to Watch Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City kicks off at 5.30pm on Saturday 19 September and is live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Head-to-Head
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City Head-to-Head
These clubs have met 96 times per 11v11.com , and Forest hold a commanding lead historically in this matchup with 48 wins to Coventry City's 20, with 28 draws.
At the City Ground, the gap widens further. Forest have won 32 of the 48 meetings on their own patch, losing just seven.
Forest have been dominant at home in this fixture in recent times, having won the last six home meetings between the two, and the scorelines make for pleasant reading too from a Nottingham point of view: 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 2-0, 2-1 and 2-0.
That's six wins, and just two goals conceded against the Sky Blues, stretching back to April 2009.
The most recent meeting came on 6 April 2022, when Forest won 2-0 at the City Ground on their way to promotion from the Championship.
Saturday, though, will be something of a rarity. These two haven't met in the top flight since January 1999 – a wait of more than 27 years.
Team News
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City Team News
Nottingham Forest Team News
Oliver Glasner will be glad to see the international break that follows this one, with Nikola Milenković expected back on the other side of it. The Serbian sat out the win at Aston Villa with a hamstring problem and has been ruled out for this game also.
Fellow centre-back Jair Cunha, who recently earned his first call-up to the Brazilian national team, picked up a similar issue in training, which sees his availability for this match against Coventry City up in the air.
There's no cause for alarm at the back, mind. Ola Aina slotted into the back three at Villa Park and Ousmane Diomande made a composed first Premier League start, while Murillo shook off a knee complaint to complete the 90 minutes.
Coventry City Team News
Awoniyi's suspension is the headline absence for Coventry. The Nigerian was sent off for violent conduct in the 5-0 home defeat to Brighton and misses a second successive fixture here.
Frank Lampard is also still without Haji Wright, who suffered a serious quad injury before the season began and was given a timeline of up to 12 weeks before a return to the pitch.
Frank Onyeka was a doubt after picking up a hand injury against Brighton but has since played 20 minutes off the bench against Aston Villa midweek in the Carabao Cup, so should be good to go for this one.
Predicted Line-Ups
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City Predicted Line-Ups
Nottingham Forest predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Sels; Aina, Murillo, Diomande; Muñoz, Schlager, McAtee, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Delap
Coventry City predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Rushworth; Pinnock, Thomas, Amenda; van Ewijk, Grimes, Onyeka, Dasilva; Rudoni, Mason-Clark; Thomas-Asante
That's an unchanged Forest side from the one that won at Villa Park, and with Milenković still out and Cunha touch-and-go, there's little reason for Glasner to tinker.
Coventry City's call is up front, where the suspended Awoniyi leaves a hole. Brandon Thomas-Asante has more minutes than Ellis Simms this season, but neither has started more than once, and Lampard could go either way.
Form Guides
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City Form Guides
Nottingham Forest Form Guide
Three games unbeaten, and the trend is pointing the right way. A 2-2 draw at Anfield, a clean sheet against Tottenham and then a first win of the season, 2-1 away at Aston Villa.
Forest have not conceded a first-half goal in the Premier League this season, with the four goals they’ve conceded all coming in the second half. That means they’ve gone into half-time either ahead or level in all four of their Premier League matches to date.
Going forward, Glasner has spread the load. Forest's four league goals have come from four different scorers: Liam Delap, Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Dan Ndoye.
The one box still to tick is a home goal. Forest have drawn a blank in their two matches at the City Ground so far, though those came against a Leeds United which currently sits 3rd in the table and a Tottenham team who have conceded just five goals all season.
Coventry City, on current evidence, are a rather different proposition.
Coventry City Form Guide
Coventry City's return to the top flight, their first since 2001, has been unforgiving. Four games, four defeats, no points and no goals.
Arsenal, Hull City, Manchester City and Brighton have all kept them out, and the Brighton game was the heaviest of the lot – a 5-0 home defeat in which Awoniyi was dismissed just after the hour.
Ten goals conceded and none scored leaves them bottom of the Premier League on goal difference at -10.
If you were looking for a glimmer of hope as a Coventry fan, you would look to their League Cup outings where they have managed to score goals. The Sky Blues put four past Plymouth Argyle in the second round before going out 3-1 at home to Aston Villa in midweek.
The finishing exists. Finding it against Premier League defences is the problem Lampard is yet to solve.
Betting Tips
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City Betting Tips
Nottingham Forest – Win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 15/8
Boosted from 7/4, and recent history between these two sides makes this bet look like great value. Every one of Forest's last six home wins over Coventry City finished 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1.
Coventry City Under 0.5 Goals – 11/8
Four Premier League games, zero goals, and now their leading scorer is suspended. As previously mentioned, Forest have also gone unbeaten at home in this fixture since 2004, so history suggests there’s a real chance that they keep a clean sheet here.
Half Time/Full Time – Draw/Nottingham Forest – 15/4
Another BOYLE Sports Price Boost, up from 7/2. Forest have been level at the break in three of their four league games and haven't conceded a first-half goal all season – and they turned the most recent of those first-half defensive performances into a win at Villa Park.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City Prediction
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Coventry City
Forest are settling into Glasner's shape; they're solid before the interval, and they've won six on the bounce against these opponents at the City Ground. Coventry City have yet to show they can hurt a Premier League defence, much less without their most dangerous forward.
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*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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Dylan has forgotten more about the world of sports betting than many will ever know. Seven years in the game will give you that kind of perspective, and he brings that knowledge to the BOYLE Sports Blog. This long-suffering Mayo man has a particular passion for Gaelic football, American football and golf.
