Fulham vs Nottingham Forest

Craven Cottage is the venue as Fulham and Nottingham Forest go head-to-head in an exciting Premier League showdown.

Fulham’s pursuit of an unlikely European qualification faces a stern task in the shape of Premier League surprise package Nottingham Forest. However, the Cottagers have fared outstandingly against this opposition lately, beating them in four of their last five top-flight H2Hs (L1). Overall, they emerged victorious from nine of their 12 most recent league encounters against Forest (L3), including a narrow 1-0 victory in September’s reverse fixture at the City Ground. Further confidence comes from back-to-back domestic wins in the build-up to this meeting, including a 2-1 triumph at Newcastle United in their last top-flight outing. However, the impending return to Craven Cottage doesn’t necessarily bode well, considering Marco Silva’s men have failed to win any of their last five home league games (D4, L1).

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest maintained their dream league campaign with a scintillating 7-0 home win against Brighton in their last match before a nervy penalty shootout win against third-tier Exeter in the FA Cup. Fresh off their biggest-margin league victory since April 1991, Nuno Espirito Santo’s charges head into proceedings to defy a topsy-turvy five-game patch in the Premier League (W3, D1, L1) and consolidate their quest to compete in the Champions League for the first time in the 21st century. However, there’s no room for complacency after a disastrous 5-0 defeat at Bournemouth on their last Premier League road trip knocked them down from a four-match winning away league streak.