Promoted Ipswich have picked up nine points from their opening seven matches of the 2026-27 campaign, which has left them in 10th spot in the table.

The hosts will enter Friday's match off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Manchester City, and plenty of encouragement can be taken from their performance.

Forest, meanwhile, suffered a 1-0 defeat to the champions Arsenal last time out.

It has been a tough start to the campaign for the Reds, who are 19th in the division, collecting only five points from their first seven matches of the season.

Here, Sports Mole looks at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides ahead of the clash in Suffolk on Friday night.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 83

Nott'm Forest wins: 42

Draws: 19

Ipswich wins: 22

From 83 previous meetings between Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town in all competitions, the Tricky Trees' success rate stands at just over 50%, having prevailed in 42 of those battles while suffering 22 losses and playing out 19 draws.

The former European Cup winners have succeeded in each of their last three head-to-heads, most recently a 4-2 Premier League win in March 2025, just 12 days on from edging a tense FA Cup fifth-round penalty shootout.

The FA Cup triumph extended Forest's unbeaten sequence in this particular contest to a respectable five games, last going down to their East Anglian foes during a six-goal Championship classic in 2017, where the Tractor Boys came up trumps 4-2.

However, that is the only time that Ipswich have managed to prevail in the last nine editions of this fixture, seven of which have been won by Forest, with the other aberration being a 1-1 draw at Portman Road in the 2018-19 Championship campaign.

The Garibaldi have not always had Ipswich's number in the 21st century, though, going winless in six straight Championship games versus the Tractor Boys from December 2013 to March 2016, but they are seldom outplayed on their own patch.

Indeed, Ipswich have not managed a single away win over Forest since the turn of the millennium, going without victory in 16 consecutive matches at the City Ground since Matt Holland propelled them to a 1-0 success in December 1999.

Outside of league action, Forest and Ipswich also contested the 1978 Charity Shield, which was not much of a contest in truth as the Reds ran out 5-0 winners.

However, the Tractor Boys boast the biggest margin of victory in this fixture, having pummelled Nottingham Forest 6-0 in a 2005 Championship clash, where Darren Bent netted the sixth and final goal.

Last 20 meetings (all competitions)

Mar 15, 2025: Ipswich 2-4 Nott'm Forest (Premier League)

Mar 03, 2025: Nott'm Forest 1-1 Ipswich [5-4 pens] (FA Cup Fifth Round)

Nov 30, 2024: Nott'm Forest 1-0 Ipswich (Premier League)

Mar 16, 2019: Ipswich 1-1 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

Dec 01, 2018: Nott'm Forest 2-0 Ipswich (Championship)

Apr 14, 2018: Nott'm Forest 2-1 Ipswich (Championship)

Dec 02, 2017: Ipswich 4-2 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

May 07, 2017: Nott'm Forest 3-0 Ipswich (Championship)

Nov 19, 2016: Ipswich 0-2 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

Mar 05, 2016: Ipswich 1-0 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

Oct 24, 2015: Nott'm Forest 1-1 Ipswich (Championship)

Apr 25, 2015: Ipswich 2-1 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

Oct 05, 2014: Nott'm Forest 2-2 Ipswich (Championship)

Mar 29, 2014: Ipswich 1-1 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

Dec 14, 2013: Nott'm Forest 0-0 Ipswich (Championship)

Mar 05, 2013: Nott'm Forest 1-0 Ipswich (Championship)

Nov 27, 2012: Ipswich 3-1 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

Jan 02, 2012: Ipswich 1-3 Nott'm Forest (Championship)

Nov 19, 2011: Nott'm Forest 3-2 Ipswich (Championship)

Jan 03, 2011: Ipswich 0-1 Nott'm Forest (Championship)