FA Cup: Nottingham Forest Poised to Breeze Past Luton Town

Nottingham Forest vs Luton Town

Nottingham Forest are one of the biggest surprise packages in England this season, and they can win their first trophy here in the FA Cup. The Tricky Trees open their campaign with a third-round matchup against Luton Town this Saturday at City Ground.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is coming off a 3-0 victory against Wolves last Tuesday to stretch their winning streak to six consecutive matches. Nottingham Forest are in the Premier League title mix in third place with 40 points, level with second-seeded Arsenal.

Luton Town, on the other hand, are in the Championship after a brief stay in the Premier League last term. The Hatters are 20^th in the Championship table and are on a four-game losing streak following their 2-1 defeat against QPR earlier this week. The pregame SBOTOP betting odds are stacked against Luton Town, but can Rob Edwards’ men spring an upset?

 

Talking Points

Defence is the name of the game for Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest are taking England football by storm because they boast the joint-second-best defensive record in the Premier League, conceding only 19 goals in the first 20 matchdays (level with table leaders Liverpool). During their six-game winning streak, the Tricky Trees only conceded three goals while scoring 13 on the other end. Their last four wins against Brentford (2-0), Tottenham (1-0), Everton (2-0), and Wolves (3-0) are all shutouts.

Nikola Milenkovic has been invaluable for Nottingham Forest. The Serbian centre-back is easily one of the top signings of the season, as he has formed a rock-solid partnership with Murillo, Ola Aina, and Neco Williams in the team’s back-four setup.

However, don’t be surprised if Nikola Milenkovic and his partners take the day off against the Hatters as part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s rotation. If this happens this weekend, we will likely see Willy Boly, Andrew Omobamidele, Eric da Silva Moreira, and Morato leading the backline. Moreover, Taiwo Awoniyi can use this game to try and rediscover his old form (alongside Ramon Sosa and Jota Silva) and give first-choice striker Chris Wood a rare day off.

 

Luton Town have a fairly lengthy injury list

In stark contrast, head coach Rob Edwards doesn’t have the luxury to rotate his squad against Nottingham Forest because of their concerning absentee list, as Teden Mengi, Alfie Doughty, Reece Burke, Shandon Baptiste, and Tom Lockyer are all unavailable.

Luton Town will continue to rely heavily on Carlton Morris to score goals against Nottingham Forest. The 29-year-old striker leads the Hatters with seven league goals and one assist. The team also needs a superb performance from Elijah Adebayo, their second-leading scorer at five league goals, whether as part of the starting XI or coming off the bench.

Rob Edwards is under enormous pressure to deliver a credible result this weekend, as many believe he is walking on thin ice. The Hatters haven’t been beyond the fifth round of this competition since the 1993-94 season and facing a Premier League-calibre opponent would be the kind of season-defining moment they’ve been looking for.

 

History

Saturday marks the fourth FA Cup meeting between Nottingham Forest and Luton Town. In their first-ever FA Cup matchup, Nottingham Forest beat Luton Town 2-1 in the 1959 final. The Tricky Trees haven’t come close to sniffing the domestic silverware, except in the 1991 final, where they lost to Tottenham.

Nottingham Forest have failed to win their last six competitive encounters against Luton Town (D4, L2), including a 1-1 draw in their most recent Premier League contest last March 2024. The last time Nottingham Forest beat Luton Town was a 3-1 result at City Ground in January 2020.

Luton Town haven’t advanced from any of their last five FA Cup ties against teams from a higher division since a 1-0 win over Portsmouth in November 2017.

 

Betting Tip

As mentioned, the FA Cup 2025 odds are partisan towards the hosts to emerge victorious this weekend. Nottingham Forest are pegged to win at 1.36, whereas Luton Town are 6.30 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.05 in the 1X2 market.

Nottingham Forest have thrived on the defensive end, and they should do that while putting up FA Cup 2025 highlights against Luton Town. So, other than our recommended bet above, bettors can also go for options like Over 2.50 at 1.76 and Total Goal 2-3 at 2.02.

However, if you fancy Luton Town’s chances to make it harder than usual for Nottingham, check out the Correct Score of 1-1 (after 90 minutes) – the result of their last meeting – given its solid offer of 8.40 your bet.

   

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