It feels like just yesterday that these two historic sides were battling it out under the Friday night lights of the Championship. Football moves fast. Now, in early 2026, the landscape of Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town has shifted again, leaving fans looking at two clubs on very different trajectories despite their shared history of punching above their weight.
You’ve probably seen the headlines. One week Forest is a defensive wall, the next they’re shipping goals like a leaky faucet. Meanwhile, Ipswich, after their brief and somewhat chaotic return to the Premier League in the 2024/25 season, is back in the Championship trying to rediscover that Kieran McKenna "magic" that made them everyone’s second-favorite team for a minute.
The Match That Defined the Current Era
When people search for Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town, they usually end up talking about that wild afternoon at Portman Road on March 15, 2025. It was a proper "welcome to the big leagues" moment for Ipswich, and honestly, a bit of a masterclass from Nuno Espírito Santo.
Forest won 4-2.
But the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story. Forest was chasing a European spot—an unthinkable dream a few years ago—and Anthony Elanga was playing like a man possessed. He scored twice in four minutes. Ipswich, bless them, looked shell-shocked. It was one of those games where one team looks like they’re playing at 1.5x speed.
That game basically cemented the current dynamic. Forest has become a pragmatic, counter-attacking machine that can bully smaller sides, while Ipswich is still in that transition phase—caught between being an expansive, exciting team and one that can actually keep a clean sheet against top-tier strikers.
Why This Rivalry Is Weirder Than You Think
Most folks assume these two are natural rivals because they’re both "big" historic clubs from roughly the same-ish part of the world (if you're being very generous with East Midlands geography). But the head-to-head stats tell a story of Forest dominance that usually goes under the radar.
- The City Ground Curse: Ipswich hasn't won an away game at the City Ground since December 1999. Think about that. Bill Clinton was still in office. Matt Holland scored the winner that day.
- The 2025 FA Cup Heartbreak: Just twelve days before that 4-2 league drubbing, they met in the FA Cup Fifth Round. It went to penalties. Forest won 5-4. It was the kind of loss that sucks the soul out of a season.
- Goals Galore: Across 83 meetings, Forest has won 42. Ipswich has 22. It’s not as close as the "historic clubs" narrative suggests.
Ipswich fans will always point to the 6-0 thumping they gave Forest back in 2005. Darren Bent was on fire that day. But since then? It’s been mostly "Tricky Tree" territory.
Tactically Speaking: Nuno vs McKenna
The tactical battle in Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town usually boils down to one thing: space.
Nuno Espírito Santo is obsessed with the low block. He loves a 4-2-3-1 that occasionally shifts into a 6-man backline when they’re protecting a lead. We saw this in late 2024 when Chris Wood tucked away a penalty and Forest just... stopped playing. They sat deep, let Ipswich have the ball, and dared them to break through Nikola Milenković and Murillo.
It worked. Ipswich had 56% possession and did absolutely nothing with it.
Kieran McKenna, on the other hand, wants his full-backs—usually Leif Davis—high up the pitch. It’s high-risk, high-reward. When it works, it’s beautiful. When it doesn't, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi have 40 yards of green grass to run into. That’s exactly how Forest tore them apart in 2025.
Current Form and Key Figures in 2026
Fast forward to right now. Forest is hovering around 17th in the Premier League under Sean Dyche (who took over to provide that "survival grit"). They’re struggling for goals, having only netted 21 in 22 games. Morgan Gibbs-White remains the heartbeat of the team, chipping in with 5 goals this season.
Ipswich is currently 3rd in the Championship, looking like a safe bet for the playoffs at the very least. Jaden Philogene has been a revelation since his move, bagging 10 goals across all competitions. They’re a fun team to watch again, but the scars of that Premier League relegation are still visible in their defensive lapses.
What Really Happened with the Transfers?
There was a lot of noise about Forest’s spending. There always is. But the recruitment of players like Elliot Anderson and Nikola Milenković actually provided a spine that Ipswich lacked.
Ipswich spent big in the summer of 2025 to try and bounce back immediately. Bringing in Sindre Walle Egeli for £17.5 million was a statement. But as we’ve seen in the recent Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town fixtures, individual talent often loses out to a settled, defensive system.
Forest’s ability to "ugly" their way to a win is a skill Ipswich is still trying to learn in the second tier.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking at the next time these two meet—likely in a cup or if Ipswich gains promotion—keep these factors in mind:
- The First 15 Minutes: Forest tends to start fast against Ipswich. In their last three meetings, Forest scored first twice before the 40-minute mark.
- Watch the Wings: If McKenna doesn't fix the space behind his full-backs, Forest's pace will kill them every single time.
- The Gibbs-White Factor: He is the ghost in the machine. Ipswich’s midfield, led by the likes of Azor Matusiwa, often struggles to track his horizontal movement.
- Set Pieces: Under Dyche, Forest has become a nightmare on corners. Ipswich’s Jacob Greaves is good in the air, but he can’t cover everyone.
The gap between the bottom of the Premier League and the top of the Championship is a canyon. Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town is the perfect case study of that divide. Forest has the "know-how" of survival, while Ipswich is still chasing the "know-how" of consistency.
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Keep an eye on the January 2026 transfer window. Forest needs a clinical finisher to help Gibbs-White, and Ipswich needs one more veteran center-back if they want to avoid another Portman Road pouring next season.