Espirito Santo Sets Sights On Nottingham Forest Success Against Former Club Wolves

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Nuno Espirito Santo is focused on Nottingham Forest's unbeaten start to the Premier League season as his former team, Wolves, visit the City Ground on Saturday. Espirito Santo led Wolves for four years, achieving promotion to the Premier League in the 2017-18 season. Now, he is keen to strengthen Forest's squad before the transfer window closes, especially after their midweek EFL Cup exit to Newcastle United on penalties and a recent 1-0 victory over Southampton.

Espirito Santo reflects on his tenure with Wolves fondly but emphasizes his current commitment to Forest. He intends to bring in new players despite the challenges. "It's a different game [to usual] and I wish them all the best for the other 36 games of the season," he stated, acknowledging the difficulty of securing quality players in the final hours of the transfer window.

Wolves, managed by Gary O'Neil, have yet to secure a Premier League win this season following a 6-2 defeat to Chelsea but advanced to the EFL Cup’s third round by beating Burnley. O'Neil utilized the cup match to provide fringe players with valuable playtime, taking lessons from their pre-season efforts. He too is focused on impending transfer decisions ahead of their match against Forest.

"I'm pleased," O’Neil shared. "It was an opportunity for some players to get minutes. There are some big decisions coming up in terms of transfers and team selections." Key players to watch in this matchup include Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been highly effective since joining from Wolves. He has created 108 open play chances in the Premier League, second only to Liverpool's Luis Diaz this season.

For Wolves, Matheus Cunha has been instrumental, involved in 17 goals in his last 19 Premier League starts. Cunha also enjoys playing against Forest, having scored three goals in three appearances against them. Match predictions favor Nottingham Forest, with a 45.6% win probability according to Opta's data simulations, while Wolves have a 29% chance.

Historical Context and Current Form

Forest aims to avoid defeat in their first three games of a top-flight season for the first time since 1995-96. They lead the league in shots and shots on target, and under Espirito Santo, they’ve been more prolific in creating shooting opportunities compared to when Steve Cooper was in charge.

Wolves have struggled particularly in August, winning just 15% of their games historically during that month. They seek to end a five-match Premier League losing streak and improve their recent poor form against Forest.

Overall, Nottingham Forest looks set to continue their strong start to the season while Wolves must overcome their challenging form and historical struggles in August to gain a positive result.