Nottingham Forest welcome Fulham to the City Ground on Tuesday night seeking to eradicate the four-point penalty handed to them during the international break.
Nuno Espirito Santo's men have already earned one point since having four docked, and claiming another three here would give them a huge boost in the fight against relegation.
Match preview
© Reuters
"We shall fight and we shall overcome" read a banner unfurled at the City Ground on Saturday, as the Forest faithful showed their desire to back the club in the face of Premier League sanctions.
In the first game since Forest were handed a four-point deduction, they managed to pull themselves out of the bottom three thanks to a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, paired with Luton Town's defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite falling behind to Jean-Philippe Mateta's strike, and being fortunate to see Eberechi Eze miss two excellent chances, Chris Wood's superb header salvaged a point for under-pressure Nuno.
The result did extend their run of form to just one win in 10 games though, as Forest have lost six Premier League games in 2024 already.
With an appeal against their points deduction pending, Forest start the midweek schedule outside the bottom three on goal difference ahead of Luton, but they face a Fulham side who they have suffered against in recent seasons.
Forest have lost their last four games against Fulham here at the City Ground, including a 3-2 defeat in their first-ever Premier League meeting last season.
They were also on the receiving end of a 5-0 humbling at Craven Cottage earlier this season, in a result that was the beginning of the end for fans-favourite Steve Cooper, who was soon sacked and replaced by Nuno.
© Reuters
Nuno's Portuguese compatriot Marco Silva would have had mixed feelings about his side's performance at the weekend away to bottom-placed Sheffield United.
Fulham's European push suffered a blow as they only managed a 3-3 draw at Bramall Lane, but after being 3-1 down with five minutes to play, Silva was pleased with the comeback from his players.
A tight VAR offside call prevented the Blades from going 4-1 up, and Fulham took advantage, with in-form Rodrigo Muniz scoring a stunning acrobatic strike in injury time to snatch a point.
The Cottagers remain 12th, four points shy of the top eight having also played a game more than all of the sides around them, weakening their chances of a return to Europe after over a decade away.
Team News
© Reuters
Taiwo Awoniyi is currently out with injury for Forest, but Nuno has stressed that the issue is not season-ending for the Nigerian striker.
Minor injuries to defensive duo Willy Boly and Nuno Tavares are set to keep them out, but Ola Aina featured at the weekend for the first time since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Anthony Elanga is set to come into the side on the wing for Divock Origi after being introduced at half time against Palace, helping them to claim a point.
Fulham are the only team in the Premier League with a fully-fit squad at present, so Silva may be tempted to go with the same team once again.
Muniz is undroppable at present, with eight goals in eight games, and Armando Broja was left out of the squad entirely again at the weekend, despite featuring for Albania during the international break.
The one personnel change could come in midfield, as Harrison Reed may replace Sasa Lukic in a holding role alongside Joao Palhinha.
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Williams, Felipe, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Sangare; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Iwobi, Andreas Pereira, Willian; Rodrigo Muniz
We say: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Fulham
With just two wins away in the league this season, Fulham have also failed to beat both of the bottom two on the road this season and could find it difficult against another side battling the drop.
Forest themselves have not been in scintillating form by any means, with just one win in their last 10, and a closely-fought encounter could well end level at the City Ground.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
