Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest: Six wagers for feisty Sunday showdown
Sun, 24 Aug 2025
Sun, 24 Aug 2025
Crystal Palace host Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon in a game sure to have an extra bit of needle after off-field controversies this summer.
Football tipster Matthew O'Regan gives us the lowdown on the contest and offers up a range of wagers.
The off-field drama between Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest has been brewing for weeks.
After Palace won their first ever major trophy, they subsequently found themselves demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League due to joint-ownership issues between Steve Parish and John Textor.
Apparently, Parish failing to read his emails is the fault of Nottingham Forest, so there is now great disdain between the two clubs.
It is the Eagles' first league home game of the season, and if their chants against Norwegian minnows Fredrikstad are anything to go by, Forest chairman Evangelos Marinakis is in for a long day at Selhurst Park. That is, if he's allowed in.
I'm sure the scary 14-year-old Holmesdale Fanatics will be ramping up the atmosphere, so a cagey, feisty game is in store.
It should only take one tackle for it to brew over – and with Anthony Taylor known for losing control of big games, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the cards flowing in South London.
Recommended bets
1.5pts - 2+ cards each – 11/10 (Bet365)
0.5pts - 3+ cards each – 5/1 (Bet365)
0.25pts - 4+ cards each – 22/1 (Bet365)
Will Hughes is a player I regularly look to back for a card, as his odds are often bigger than they should be.
The 30-year-old has become an important figure at Crystal Palace, starting 24 games last season and collecting 11 yellow cards – an average of 0.47 per 90 minutes – which is further backed up by him committing 2.76 fouls per 90.
This weekend he faces Morgan Gibbs-White, who draws 1.4 fouls per game, and Elliot Anderson, who wins 1.9 per game, making Hughes’ combative style even more likely to land him in the referee’s book.
He’s already been booked once this season, in the opener against Chelsea, and with his Derby academy roots adding extra spice to a clash with Nottingham Forest, the price on him to be carded once again looks far too generous.
Recommended bet
1pt - Will Hughes Card – 3/1 (Bet365)
Ibrahim Sangare has struggled to find consistency since joining Forest in 2023-24, but one area where he remains reliable is entering the referee’s notebook.
In his debut campaign, he averaged 0.52 yellow cards and 1.91 fouls per 90, before following it up last season with 0.46 yellows and 2.29 fouls per 90.
He played the full 90 minutes in the opener against Brentford and looks set to keep his place in the side – making him a strong candidate to pick up another booking.
Marc Guehi was something of an anomaly last season, averaging just 0.71 fouls per 90 but still collecting 0.24 yellow cards per 90.
That suggests when the 25-year-old does commit a foul, it’s often cynical and enough to draw a booking straight away.
Lining up on the left side of Palace’s back three, Guehi is likely to find himself directly up against Forest’s summer signing Dan Ndoye. The Swiss winger was a foul-magnet in Serie A with Bologna, winning an impressive 4.23 fouls per 90 last season.
With Forest expected to target Palace on the counter, Guehi could be dragged wide and left in 1v1 situations with Ndoye – making him an appealing wager for a caution too.
Recommended bets
0.25pts - Will Hughes and Ibrahim Sangare to be booked – 11/1 (B365)
0.25pts - Will Hughes, Ibrahim Sangare and Marc Guehi Card – 86/1 (Bet365)
1.5pts - 2+ cards each – 11/10 (Bet365)
0.5pts - 3+ cards each – 5/1 (Bet365)
0.25pts - 4+ cards each – 22/1 (Bet365)
1pt - Will Hughes Card – 3/1 (Bet365)
0.25pts - Will Hughes and Ibrahim Sangare to be booked – 11/1 (B365)
0.25pts - Will Hughes, Ibrahim Sangare and Marc Guehi Card – 86/1 (Bet365)
Total staked - 3.75pts
Despite only being in his early 20s, Matthew O'Regan has wasted little time making a name for himself as a sound footballing judge.
With a strong social media following, gained as a result of his uncanny ability to repeatedly land big-priced winners, Matthew now shares his insights on the beautiful game – and how to profit on it – as his profession.
He credits most of his betting skill to working in a bookmaker shop as a youngster, seeing the silly mistakes most punters make which inspired him to try and attack things from a different angle.
When he's not scouring markets and writing columns, Matthew follows Brighton and his local non-league club Worthing.
Despite only being in his early 20s, Matthew O'Regan has wasted little time making a name for himself as a sound footballing judge.
With a strong social media following, gained as a result of his uncanny ability to repeatedly land big-priced winners, Matthew now shares his insights on the beautiful game – and how to profit on it – as his profession.
He credits most of his betting skill to working in a bookmaker shop as a youngster, seeing the silly mistakes most punters make which inspired him to try and attack things from a different angle.
When he's not scouring markets and writing columns, Matthew follows Brighton and his local non-league club Worthing.
Matthew's p/l
7 Days
30 Days
Year 2025
“Fuck UEFA, Fuck Marinakis” is the chant from the Palace end at Wembley
