Nottingham Forest could move within four points of the Championship top two with victory over Bristol City.
Nottingham Forest Host Bristol City in Latest Play-Off Six-Pointer
Match Preview: Nottingham Forest v Bristol City
The Reds could receive a huge boost to their promotion aspirations with victory over the Robins tonight.
Should Sabri Lamouchi’s men win, and results elsewhere go in their favour, the Reds will end the night just four points behind the top two.
It could see the Midlands-based side’s aspirations change from consolidating a play-off spot, to challenging for automatic promotion.
Sat in 12th, Bristol City will be the lowest-ranked position Forest will play in their next four matches.
The Reds have trips to Derby County and Preston North End either side of a visit from Fulham next Tuesday.
In a tightly contested Championship table, Bristol City’s own targets could transition should the Robins record victory for themselves.
Lee Johnson‘s side are currently in mid-table but three points could see them climb as high as seventh – just three points behind sixth-placed Cardiff City.
The resumption of football has brought no improvement in form for City.
Having won just two in eight before the pause, Johnson’s side are yet to taste victory in the two games since football’s restart.
Team News
Sabri Lamouchi has confirmed he has a fully fit squad to select from.
Ben Watson returned to the Forest roster in the weekend victory over Huddersfield Town. Samba Sow, who did not feature on Saturday, is fit to return and could be utilised.
Adama Diakhaby is also eligible for a return after being unable to compete against his parent club four days ago.
Pedro Pereira is the only expected absentee from Lee Johnson’s squad; he picked up a thigh strain against Blackburn Rovers.
Famara Diedhiou didn’t train for the first two days last week, but appeared off the bench against Sheffield Wednesday. He could be in with a chance of starting against Forest.
From the Bosses
With a number of matches against sides around them in the promotion hunt, Forest boss Lamouchi reiterated full focus was on the next upcoming match.
He said: “It will be a tough game because they have a good squad, good players and a lot of options in the offensive part.
“We know that they have not been in a good moment but they have the players to change that.
“We have to take it game by game. We just have to focus on the next one and that is Bristol, a good club, good team with very good players.”
Asked whether tonight’s fixture with Forest, and a weekend meeting with Cardiff City, are crucial in closing the gap in the table, Johnson said: “They are, and there’s no hiding from the fact that our form hasn’t been good enough.
“But I did see positives (on Saturday).
“And I do know my teams, and I do think we can go to Nottingham Forest and get a result, I really do.
“Of course, not if we don’t win the boxes. So we’ll have to win the boxes, but there was a lot more attitude to our game and forward-thinking than there was in the previous game.”
Prediction
It is difficult to see anything but another defeat for Bristol City tonight. The Robins provided an improved performance in their most recent outing, but Forest did exactly the same in their confident 3-1 win over Huddersfield Town.
A well-structured Robins side could frustrate the hosts and restrict their attacking opportunities; however, it is hard to say that they will be able to deny the Reds from breaking the deadlock.
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Bristol City
Main Photo
