Nottingham Forest enters their upcoming fixture against Ipswich Town grappling with an unprecedented scoring crisis at the City Ground. Despite a heavy volume of offensive production, the club has yet to find the back of the net in home Premier League matches this season, extending a drought that has now reached eight hours and 26 minutes of play.
The lack of clinical finishing has become the defining characteristic of Forest’s 2026 campaign. While the club enjoyed success in the Europa League with victories over Ferencvaros, Porto, and Aston Villa, their domestic home form has been abysmal. Since November, the team has managed only two wins in 17 home league matches. The scoring statistics are equally stark: Forest has netted just eight times at the City Ground during the calendar year, with half of those goals coming in a single match against Burnley in April.
Statistically, the disconnect between Forest’s creativity and their results is the widest in the division. The team currently ranks third in the Premier League for total shots taken with 120, trailing only Manchester United (138) and Brighton (125). However, only 25 of those attempts have found the target. This inefficiency has resulted in a conversion rate of just 4.17%, the lowest in the league, falling behind Tottenham Hotspur who recently improved to 6.06% following a victory over Coventry.
Advanced metrics further illustrate the struggle. Forest currently carries a -6.20 expected goals (xG) differential, the worst mark in the Premier League. In their recent encounter with Arsenal, the side registered 14 shots but managed only two on target. A similar lack of edge was evident against Crystal Palace, where striker Liam Delap saw a close-range blast saved by Walter Benitez and another injury-time opportunity blocked by Ezri Konsa.
The pressure is mounting on Delap, who arrived at the club this summer in a £50 million transfer. Despite the missed chances, manager Oliver Glasner has been vocal in his support of the young forward and the rest of the squad. Glasner emphasized that while top-tier opponents like the reigning champions offer very few openings, the team must capitalize on the three or four moments they do create.
“We are the only ones who can change it,” Glasner said, addressing the current slump. “I told the players this is a tough moment and in tough moments in life there’s just one way to go through it: you need your family, you need your friends, and you need to stick together and stay positive.”
Glasner remains optimistic that a turnaround is imminent, citing the personality of his roster as the reason for his confidence. As the team prepares for Ipswich, the focus remains on translating high shot volumes into tangible results to break the nearly nine-hour home scoring drought and stabilize their position in the top flight.
