Relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest are all set to hit the road to square up against ninth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.
Both Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest are heading into this fixture on the back of a defeat in the league, and they will look to return to winning ways by coming out on top here. While 15 points separate the two teams, it could still be a closely fought encounter.
Brighton are currently ninth on the points table with 39 points out of their 27 matches. The Seagulls have not been as good as they were last term. A few key departures have affected their levels but thanks to their ten wins, they are still inside the top half.
Their recent form has been a concern, with Brighton winning only one out of their last five games. The home team are heading into this one on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Fulham in the league, which was followed up by another 4-0 defeat at the hands of AS Roma in the UEFA Europa League.
They are not in the best of forms and will have to dig deep to claim all three points here. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are currently 17th on the points table with 24 points in their 27 matches. They have only won six games so far and have suffered 15 defeats in total.
They have a four-point advantage over 18th-placed Luton Town, who have a game in hand to catch up. The Tricky Trees have suffered three defeats in their last four league outings. They are heading into this one on the back of consecutive defeats in the league against Liverpool and Aston Villa.
The visitors will have to put up a much-improved performance if they do want to return empty-handed. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Billy Gilmour is still out suspended, while Solly March, Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood are all out injured. Meanwhile, James Milner and Joao Pedro are struggling with thigh issues and unlikely to be back fit in time. Despite the number of absentees, Roberto De Zerbi still has quite a few options that he can use to rotate his team.
The Seagulls will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Bart Verbruggen will be in goal. Joel Veltman and Pervis Estupinan will be the two full-backs. Meanwhile, Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster will feature in the heart of the defence for the home team.
Carlos Baleba and Pascal Gross will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. They will look to shield the backline and ensure they dictate the pace of the game. Ansu Fati will feature on the right flank, while Simon Adingra will feature on the left. Adam Lallana will be the attacking midfielder behind Evan Ferguson, who will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Estupinan; Baleba, Gross; Fati, Lallana, Adingra; Ferguson
Nottingham Forest
The visitors will be without the services of Nicolas Dominguez, who picked up a hamstring injury last time out. Apart from him, Nuno Tavares, Chris Wood, and Ola Aina are unlikely to take any part in this fixture.
Willy Boly has been out for a while now but could make a comeback in this fixture. Giovanni Reyna and Gonzalo Montiel were not a part of their matchday squad last time out, and it will be interesting to see if they make a comeback.
Nottingham Forest will also line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Matz Sels in goal. Neco Williams and Harry Toffolo will be the full-backs for the away team. The duo will look to support Murillo and Andrew Omobamidele, who will feature in the heart of the defence in search of all three points.
Danilo will start alongside Ryan Yates in the centre of the park. The duo will have a lot of defensive work to do to stop the Segulls from dominating the proceedings. Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi will feature on the flanks.
They will provide width to their attacks while Morgan Gibbs-White will start as the attacking midfielder. He will look to create scoring chances for those around him. Finally, Taiwo Awoniyi will lead the line for Nottingham Forest against Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo; Danilo, Yates; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have only won one out of their last four league games, three of those matches have ended in a defeat.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have won two out of their last five matches but they have been winless in their last two games in the league.
- Nottingham Forest have the third-worst away record in the league with only nine points accumulated on the road.
- The reverse fixture between the two teams ended 3-2 in favour of the Seagulls at the City Ground back in November.
- Brighton have been unbeaten in their last 12 matches at home.
Player to Watch
Ansu Fati
Fati has not had the best of times over the past few seasons, and the loan move to Brighton has not really done him any good so far either. Despite the calf injury, he has featured in 14 Premier League games but has been on the pitch for just over 400 minutes.
The Barcelona academy graduate has two league goals to his name, and he will be keen on adding to it when he takes the field against Nottingham Forest. Despite his recent form, he could be the one to watch out for in this fixture.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Brighton and Nottingham Forest will both look to return to winning ways when they square up against each other. The recent form of both the teams has not been that great, suggesting that it will be a closely fought encounter.
But, in the end, the Seagulls might just have enough in their tank to claim all three points here. Their overall form is better, and they have more quality in their ranks. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.