Nottingham Forest will host Bristol City for the FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday, looking to reach the next stage.
Nottingham Forest and Bristol City played out a goalless draw back in January in the original fixture, and they will be hoping to make amends when they lock horns at the City Ground on Wednesday evening.
The Tricky Trees are coming into this game on the back of a four-match winless run across all competitions. The home team played out a draw against Bournemouth in the last outing, and they will be expected to step up and grind out a positive result here.
Nottingham Forest have picked up just one win from their last six league matches, and it will be interesting to see if they can book their place in the next round of the FA Cup with a positive result here.
Meanwhile, Bristol City are going through a disappointing run of form as well, and they have failed to win five of the last six matches across all competitions. They are on a four-match win run, and it remains to be seen whether the side can pull off an upset and grind positive results away from home.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
The home team will be without Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangare, and Willy Boly. Meanwhile, Ryan Nates and Nicolas Dominguez miss out due to suspension. In addition, Callum Hudson-Odoi faces a race against time to determine his availability.
Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Matt Turner in goal. Gonzalo Montiel and Harry Toffolo will start as the full-backs here. They will look to keep things compact at the back and protect the central defenders. Andrew Omobamidele will start alongside Murillo at the heart of the defence.
In the middle of the park, Morgan Gibbs-White will start alongside Danilo in the double pivot. The latter will look to win the ball back for his side and break down the opposition attacks, while the former will charge forward to provide the forward thrust.
Giovanni Reyna will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and add creativity and to drive to the side. Anthony Elanga and Hudson-Odoi will start in the wide areas. The two players will look to add pace and flair from the flanks. Taiwo Awoniyi will lead the line for Nottingham Forest.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Turner; Montiel, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo; Gibbs-White, Danilo; Elanga, Reyna, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi
Bristol City
The away side will be without Rob Atkinson, Kal Naismith, and Ayman Benarous. Bristol City are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Max O’Leary in goal.
George Tanner and Cameron Pring will start as the full-backs here. They will look to contain the Nottingham Forest attackers and help out during counter-attacking situations. Zak Vyner will start alongside Rob Dickie at the heart of the defence. As for the midfield unit, Joe Williams will start alongside Matty James in the double pivot.
They will look to break up the opposition attacks and win the ball back for their side. Tommy Conway will start as the central attacking midfielder, with Sam Bell and Anis Mehmeti being the wingers. The three players will look to add creativity in the final third. Finally, Nahki Wells will lead the line for Bristol City against Nottingham Forest.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): O’Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie, Pring; Williams, James; Bell, Conway, Mehmeti; Wells
Key Stats
- Bristol City have won just two of their last nine meetings with Nottingham Forest in all competitions (D4 L3), and are winless in all four at home in this run (D3 L1).
- Nottingham Forest have progressed from all four of their FA Cup ties against Bristol City, most recently in the fifth round in 1991-92.
- Both teams have picked up just one one from the last six matches across all competitions.
- Nine goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in five of the last six matches against Bristol City.
Player to Watch
Morgan Gibbs-White
The 24-year-old English midfielder is in impressive form for Nottingham Forest this season, and he has contributed to three goals and three assists across all competitions. He will be expected to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third with his vision, execution and flair. Gibbs-White will look to add to his goalscoring tally for the season as well.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Bristol City
Both teams are in identical form heading into this contest. But Nottingham Forest have the better set of players, and they will be expected to out a victory at home. A defeat here would be a devastating blow to the morale of the home side, and they will be determined to put on a strong performance here.
Both teams will look to grind out a victory here, but Nottingham Forest have more quality at their disposal and should be able to emerge victorious. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 3-1 win for Nuno Espirito Santo and his charges.
FA CUP