Nottingham Forest are still pushing for European qualification, and they cannot afford to drop points at this stage of the season as they get set for the game vs Brentford. The Tricky Trees are coming into this game on the back of two defeats from their last three Premier League matches.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will look to bounce back strongly and finish the season on a high. Meanwhile, Brentford are 11th in the Premier League table, and they ended their winless run with a victory over Brighton & Hove Albion in their last top-flight outings. The Bees will have to pull off an upset here.
Brentford are unbeaten in five of their last six meetings vs Nottingham Forest, and they will certainly fancy their chances of getting something out of this contest. The home team has been inconsistent in recent weeks, and they will need to raise their performance levels to grind out all three points. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
The home team do not have any major injury concerns heading into this game. Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 3-4-3 formation vs Brentford, with Matz Sels in goal. Neco Williams and Ryan Yates will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch.
Nikola Milenkovic will start alongside Murillo and Morato in the central defensive unit. As for the midfield unit Nicolas Dominguez will start alongside Elliot Anderson in the double pivot, and they will look to add defensive cover to the side.
Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi will look to add pace, flair and goals to the side from the wide areas. Finally, Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest vs Brentford on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates; Dominguez, Anderson; Gibbs-White, Wood, Hudson-Odoi
Thomas Frank will be without Joshua Dasilva due to a knee injury, Aaron Hickey due to a thigh injury, and Igor Thiago with a knee issue. Meanwhile, Fabio Carvalho misses out after shoulder surgery.
Brentford will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Nottingham Forest, with Mark Flekken in goal. Kristoffer Ajer and Keane Lewis-Potter will start as the full-backs here. They will look to keep things tight at the back and hit Nottingham Forest on the break. Nathan Collins will start alongside Ben Mee at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit Vitaly Janelt will start alongside Christian Norgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard in the middle of the park. Janelt and Norgaard add defensive cover to the side, while Damsgaard will add creativity. Finally, Kevin Schade will spearhead the Brentford attack vs Nottingham Forest, with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Ajer, Collins, Mee, Lewis-Potter; Janelt, Norgaard, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Schade, Wissa
The Nottingham Forest striker has 19 goals to his name, and he is our key player to watch out for. He will look to add to his goal tally for the season and make the most of Brentford’s defensive vulnerability. The visitors have conceded in five of their last six outings in all competitions, and Chris Wood could trouble them with his movement, link-up play and finishing ability.
Meanwhile, Wood has scored with 19 of his 54 attempts (35.2%) in the Premier League this season, the highest shot conversion rate since top-flight records began in 2003-04 (for any player with at least 50 shots in a campaign).Nottingham Forest will need him to step up and deliver if they want to get a win here.
Nottingham Forest will be the favourites heading into this contest, and they will be expected to pick up all three points. Even though the Tricky Trees have been inconsistent, they have a better team and they are in better form. Brentford have done well vs Nottingham Forest in recent seasons, but they are in poor form right now.
The Bees have picked up just two wins from their last six matches in the Premier League. This will be a difficult outing for them. Both teams will look to get on the score sheet, but Nottingham Forest have more depth in their attacking unit, and they should be able to edge this one. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Nuno Espirito Santo and his charges.
