Brighton and Hove Albion vs Nottingham Forest. Sky Bet Championship.
Amex StadiumAttendance24,623.
Friday 7 August 2015 20:08, UK
Team news for Friday night's Sky Bet Championship clash between Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
Brighton and Nottingham Forest get the Sky Bet Football League season under way on Friday night, with Bobby Zamora expected to be involved for the hosts at the Amex Stadium.
Zamora this week returned to the south coast on a free transfer following his release from QPR, signing a one-year contract 12 years after his departure for Tottenham.
Fellow striker Sam Baldock, who suffered a knee injury in March, could be ready for the start of Albion's Sky Bet Championship campaign while midfielder Andrew Crofts, out since October with his knee problem, stepped up his rehabilitation with an appearance for the Under-21 team last week.
Brighton boss Chris Hughton has bolstered his squad with several new signings this summer and, along with Zamora, Jack Harper, Vahid Hambo, Gaetan Bong, Tomer Hemed and Liam Rosenior will all be hoping to feature.
Forest will make the trip without a host of first-team players.
Central defender Kelvin Wilson completes a four-match suspension carried over from last season for the red card he received during a home defeat to Watford in April.
Club-record signing Britt Assombalonga will not be fit again until 2016 as he recovers from knee surgery, while fellow striker Matty Fryatt (Achilles), versatile skipper Chris Cohen (knee) and midfielder Andy Reid (groin) also continue to nurse issues that plagued them last season.
Ben Osborn suffered a dislocated shoulder during pre-season but the young midfielder could be included in the squad along with new signings Jamie Ward, Matt Mills and Daniel Pinillos.
Betting
All eyes will be on Brighton new boy Bobby Zamora, and Sky Bet are offering an enhanced price on the returning fan favourite breaking the deadlock. The former West Ham and QPR hitman is 8/1 to score first.
For the visitors, their main goal threat is likely to come from Dexter Blackstock, with leading scorer from last season Britt Assombalonga out of action. Blackstock's price has been boosted to 8/1 to open the scoring.
Other offers include Kazenga Lua‐Lua to score first and Brighton to win 2‐1 and Michail Antonio to score and Nottingham Forest to win in 90 minutes boosted to 66/1 and 8/1 respectively.
Watch Brighton v Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Friday night. Catch the match for £6.99 on NOW TV. No contract.
