Nottingham Forest and Brighton & Hove Albion are set to lock horns in a tantalizing Premier League clash at the City Ground on Saturday.
The Tricky Trees will be aiming to bounce back from their humiliating 5-0 defeat against Bournemouth, while the Seagulls will be eager to return to winning ways after a narrow loss to Everton.
Nottingham Forest’s title aspirations suffered a major blow last weekend, as Dango Ouattara’s hat-trick and goals from Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo condemned them to a heavy defeat on the South Coast.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, who were previously on a nine-match unbeaten run, will be determined to get their campaign back on track in front of their home supporters.
Brighton, on the other hand, were undone by Iliman Ndiaye’s first-half penalty at the Amex Stadium, ending their own impressive run of form.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side, currently sitting in ninth place, will be aiming to bounce back and maintain their push for European qualification.
Team News
Nottingham Forest will be sweating on the fitness of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who missed the Bournemouth game due to a groin injury.
If the former Chelsea winger is deemed fit to play, he could replace Jota Silva in the starting lineup. Long-term absentee Ibrahim Sangare is expected to remain sidelined.
Brighton could be without left-back Pervis Estupinan, who missed the Everton game for an unexplained reason.
The Seagulls will definitely be without several injured players, including Jason Steele, Igor Julio, Ferdi Kadioglu, James Milner, Mats Wieffer, Solly March, and Evan Ferguson.
Predicted Lineups
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1):
Sels;
Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams;
Anderson, Dominguez;
Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi;
Wood.
Brighton & Hove Albion (4-2-3-1):
Verbruggen;
Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Lamptey;
Baleba, Hinshelwood;
Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma;
Welbeck.
Despite their humbling defeat against Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest should have enough quality to bounce back and secure all three points against a Brighton side that has struggled to find the net in recent matches. The home advantage and the desire to make amends should prove crucial for the Tricky Trees.
