Chris Sutton’s Take: Two Sides, One Point?
Chris Sutton isn’t one for wild predictions, but his 1-1 call for Tottenham vs. Nottingham Forest is shaping up to be more than fence-sitting. Monday's Premier League tie is coming at a weird time for both clubs. Forest, usually punching above their weight, just stumbled with back-to-back losses—Aston Villa first, then Everton put the boot in. Not exactly the run you want with Europe's biggest prizes on the line.
Sutton picked up on Forest’s ability to strike fast on the counter—something Tottenham know all too well after that 3-1 pain at the City Ground in December. While Forest are sitting high in the table in fifth, they're not exactly oozing confidence. The goals have dried up a bit, the defense is letting in soft chances, and the swagger that pushed them into the Champions League conversation has flickered.
Tottenham, though, hardly have it easy either. They’re juggling priorities and there’s a real risk their focus slips, with that massive Europa League semifinal looming. Sutton is betting on squad rotation, perhaps a bit of half-hearted pressing, and players with one eye on avoiding injury ahead of a potentially season-defining European night. Add all that up, and you’ve got a recipe for a game that never really catches fire but refuses to fizzle out entirely.
What Could Tip the Balance?
Nuno Espirito Santo has his own reasons to want a result. It’s not every week you get a shot at your ex—Tottenham sacked him quick after all—so you bet there’s a personal score in the background. Forest’s motivation is even bigger: they’re sniffing the possibility of Champions League football. But Sutton’s view is that Forest still aren’t the finished article. The defense can creak under pressure, and their transition play—so deadly when it clicks—hasn’t always turned into goals lately.
On the flip side, Tottenham aren't playing vintage stuff right now, either. They have enough individual quality to dig something out, even if the rhythm is off. Sutton figures their home crowd and depth might keep things from going Forest’s way completely. Both sides have attacking pieces to cause trouble—picture Richarlison or Maddison for Spurs, Awoniyi or Gibbs-White for Nottingham Forest—but defensive question marks mean nobody should feel too safe betting on a clean sheet.
So we end up with a game that could swing either way in flashes, but probably sees both clubs leave with a point—and a few regrets. Whether Sutton’s 1-1 guess comes true or not, it’s a reminder that tight margins and pressure often decide big Premier League moments.