Spooky Express previews Saturday's Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Everton, including team news, possible starting XIs and free plays. 

Nottingham Forest are set to face a wounded Everton at The City Ground in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. 

Both sides played out two draws last season, with a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park (August 2022) followed by a 2-2 draw at The City Ground in March. 

Being out of the division for a long time, Nottingham Forest rescued their top-flight status as they finished 16^th in the Premier League last season. 

Having won just one of their last nine matches, Steve Cooper's Reds are aiming to improve these numbers if they are to avoid being involved in the relegation race and the so-called "second-season syndrome". 

Not that Forest did very well in their first Premier League campaign, yet they managed to finish four points above the bottom three, which was quite an acceptable outcome. 

Steve Cooper's side suffered a 3-2 defeat to Brighton at The City Ground last weekend - their first home league loss of the campaign. Moreover, Forest have lost back-to-back league games for the first time in 2023-24 and will be aiming to get back to winning ways on Saturday. 

Steve Cooper, however, faces some big selection calls as the Nottingham Forest boss will be challenged to pick up the right line-up - a decision that will be key against an Everton side who will be galvanized by their recent points deduction.

Eleven goals have been shipped in the five matches, so tightening up at the back must be a priority for The Reds. This could cause thoughts of bringing Willy Boly back into the starting line-up.

It was understandable the Welshman opted to stick with the partnership of Moussa Niakhate and Murillo after the pair worked well together in the 2-0 win against Aston Villa last month. 

Cooper is keen to stick with a settled backline, but Boly had been in good form prior to finding himself behind in the pecking order and it could be a good moment to call upon his services again.

If the Nottingham Forest boss opts for more changes, Brazilian midfielder Danilo could also lose his starting spot to Ryan Yates. 

In a huge blow for Forest's attack, Taiwo Awoniyi picked up a groin injury while playing for Nigeria during the international break and is expected to be sidelined for several months after having surgery.

Awoniyi's absence means that Chris Wood will most likely lead the line against Everton as the experienced New Zealand forward started against Brighton last time out. 

Brennan Johnson scored all three goals for Nottingham Forest against Everton last season but the Wales international left the East Midlands outfit to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer. 

Elsewhere, Morgan Gibbs-White successfully converted his penalty to score his first goal of the season against Brighton and the ex-England U21 international will be eager to build on his performance. 

The Toffees are looking for their first win over Nottingham Forest since a 2-0 victory at The City Ground on 8 September 1998, when Duncan Ferguson's second-half brace earned them a fourth consecutive win over Forest. 

Having won four times in a row against Nottingham Forest between February 1996 and September 1998, Everton will need the victory more than ever as they are fighting to retain their top-flight status.

After being deducted 10 points by the Premier League, things went from bad to worse for the Toffees. Influenced by the Evertonians, who were fired up and staged protests against the club’s 10-point deduction before and during the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United last weekend, Everton were caught in a trap at a feisty Goodison Park.

United still had to withstand waves of Everton pressure but they eventually secured their biggest win of the season so far. 

Everton are set to host Fulham in the League Cup quarter-finals later this month (December 19) but they will have to focus on their Premier League survival first. Sean Dyche's side will welcome Newcastle United and Everton next week before they travel to face fellow strugglers Burnley on December 16. 

Meanwhile, Everton have confirmed they have submitted their appeal to the Premier League's 10-point deduction.

Sean Dyche will continue to be without Andre Gomes and Dele Alli (both injured), while two other first-team players will have to be assessed if they are to play a part at the City Ground this weekend.

The Everton manager addressed the media ahead of the club's trip to the East Midlands. There are some key doubts for the game with Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana and England attacker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and there's also decisions to be made across the starting XI. 

Calvert-Lewin has missed training the last couple of days and is being rested as a precaution ahead of the weekend clash. Dyche claimed the Everton frontman may be available, but could well miss out.

Dyche also revealed that summer signing Beto has resumed training after missing out against Manchester United last time out. The Brazilian will likely lead the line for Everton if Calvert-Lewin is not fully fit to start. 

With four goals in 13 Premier League appearances, Abdoulaye Doucouré is Everton's top goalscorer in the Premier League this term. The Malian midfielder brings energy and commitment to the cause and should play a pivotal role against Nottingham Forest. 

Arnaut Danjuma and Youssef Chermiti are also eager for first-team football but the duo will once again have to settle for a place on the bench. 

Elsewhere, the Everton boss sticks with veteran Ashley Young, who started his 12^th league game of the season for Everton and conceded a penalty against United. It remains to be seen whether the 38-year-old right-back will feature against Nottingham Forest or Nathan Patterson could be handed a start. 

Forest have won just two of their six home matches in the Premier League this season, but the Reds have lost just one of them and will be looking to get back on track on Saturday. 

Everton, on the other hand, have won six of their last 10 matches in all competitions (6-1-3), including three of their last four away games in the league. Furthermore, The Toffees have won five of their last seven games away from Goodison Park in all competitions (5-1-1) and they'll fancy their chances of winning at The City Ground on Saturday.