Two teams enjoying admirable unbeaten runs in the Premier League go head-to-head at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon, as Nottingham Forest and Fulham pit their wits against one another.
The Tricky Trees have had a week to recover from a chaotic 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, while the Cottagers ran out 3-1 victors over a lacklustre Newcastle United.
Match preview
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South Coast chaos reigned supreme at the Amex Stadium last week, where Forest retained their unbeaten streak for the 2024-25 Premier League campaign courtesy of a four-goal stalemate, in which strikes from Chris Wood and Ramon Sosa arrived either side of Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck's efforts.
However, the on-field action paled into insignificance as tempers flared severely towards the end, where an apoplectic Morgan Gibbs-White took the walk of shame for two bookable offences, as did both managers in Nuno Espirito Santo and Fabian Hurzeler 10 minutes from time.
The upshot of last weekend's indiscretions is that Gibbs-White - the jewel in the Forest crown - will be suspended for the visit of the Cottagers, a damaging blow to the Tricky Trees' hopes of going six games without defeat at the start of the season for the first time in 10 years.
Not since the 2014-15 Championship campaign have Forest - who are flying high in eighth in the table - navigated each of their first six league games unbeaten, and they did not have any EFL Cup engagements to attend to in midweek thanks to their early elimination at the hands of Newcastle United.
The hosts have also found the back of the net in eight straight Premier League games since drawing a blank against Manchester City at the end of April, but none of their last five top-flight home matches have ended in victory, their longest winless Premier League run on familiar turf in the 21st century.
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Four goals also flew into the back of the Craven Cottage nets last weekend, although three of them were for Marco Silva's rampant men, as Fulham dominated proceedings against Newcastle United on a day where Arsenal's Hale End academy was to thank once again.
Indeed, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson - the former of whom was set up by Alex Iwobi - breached the Magpies' backline after Raul Jimenez's well-taken opener, as the Cottagers ensured that Harvey Barnes's effort would prove meaningless in the grand scheme.
Nullifying Newcastle was the required response to Fulham's excruciating exit from the EFL Cup, where Preston North End emerged victorious after the longest-ever penalty shootout in the tournament's history, with 34 spot kicks required to determine the fate of the Deepdale competitors.
Now fully focused on Premier League matters until the FA Cup rolls around, Silva's men find themselves just one place and one point worse off than Forest thanks to their own four-game unbeaten run, a streak in which they have both scored and conceded in every game.
However, Fulham's trip to the City Ground last year ended in a comprehensive 3-1 defeat, albeit only after they had demolished the Garibaldi 5-0 at Craven Cottage in December, a result that hammered another nail into Steve Cooper's coffin.
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Team News
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As mentioned, Forest must make do without star man Gibbs-White for at least one game - there are fears that his sentence could be extended to a two-match ban - and Santo is also waiting to learn whether a touchline suspension is coming his way after being hit with an FA charge for improper conduct.
Sosa has certainly put his name in the hat to replace Gibbs-White, but the Forest boss may play it safe and just introduce Ryan Yates back into the XI, as Elliot Anderson or James Ward-Prowse push higher up the field. Sosa could still threaten Anthony Elanga's position, though.
There has been no change to the Tricky Trees' injury situation, though, as Danilo (ankle), Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) and Willy Boly (calf) remain out of contention, although the latter is nearing a return.
It is also as you were on the fitness front for Fulham, who only ought to be without calf victim Carlos Vinicius for the trip to Nottingham, but the attacker should return within the next fortnight.
Even with a near fully-fit squad at his disposal, Silva should have no reason to shuffle the pack barring a potential midfield swap; Sander Berge came on for Sasa Lukic at half time last weekend and is pushing for a starting berth.
Nelson memorably struck two goals versus Forest for Arsenal in 2022, but the Gunners loanee has never scored away from home in the top flight and should not displace Adama Traore in the first XI just yet.
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Ward-Prowse; Sosa, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
We say: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Fulham
So much of Forest's bright attacking play goes through Gibbs-White, whose absence ought to hit the hosts hard against a Fulham side boasting their own chief creator in Andreas Pereira, whose 66 chances fashioned for his teammates in 2024 is the second most in the Premier League behind Kevin De Bruyne.
Forest's defence has still packed a mean punch this season, though, so even if Santo's side cannot get over the line without Gibbs-White, they ought to be good enough for a point as their unbeaten record lives another week.
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Ben Knapton
