Difficult run of fixtures continues for Nottingham Forest as Brentford visit the City Ground

Seventh-placed Brentford travel to a Nottingham Forest side hovering above the relegation zone on Saturday, with both sides needing the three points for different reasons.

A win for Brentford would get their promotion bid get back on track after two draws in a row, but Forest are on a long winless run and could end Saturday in the bottom three depending on results elsewhere.

Despite picking up just one point in their last six games Nottingham Forest are currently averaging one point per game under Chris Hughton, but that will have to improve if they are to stay in the Championship.

The poor form is a concern, but Forest’s last five fixtures have all come against the current Championship top five and so are perhaps not a surprise. Before this run there had been promising signs in terms of results since Hughton’s arrival.

A 1-0 win at Blackburn in the former Newcastle and Brighton manager’s first game was followed up with draws against Rotherham United, Derby County and Luton Town. Forest did lose at Middlesbrough in their next game but bounced back with wins against Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers.

The international break came just as Forest were starting to put together a good run of results together, and their first game after it was a 2-0 defeat at Barnsley before their menacing last five fixtures.

The fixture list continues to be unkind to Hughton’s side however, with Brentford currently in seventh place going into Saturday’s game. There are kinder fixtures on the way with Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall, and Birmingham City in the three games immediately after Saturday, but Forest could find themselves in the bottom three going into that run if they fail to get a result v Brentford.

The East Midlands side are currently one point above rivals Derby who occupy the final relegation spot, but it is Wayne Rooney’s team who are in better form having picked up six points in their last four games, including one in a draw against Brentford on Wednesday night.

Wednesday’s result means Brentford are now two games without a win after drawing with Blackburn Rovers last weekend. While the match with Derby did not see a shot on target recorded for either side, Brentford were winning 2-1 against Blackburn until an 87th minute equaliser for the visitors rescued a point for the Lancashire side.

Despite being two games without a win, Brentford are unbeaten in their last ten games with their most recent defeat coming at the end of October away at Stoke City.

The visitors also have the division’s joint top goal scorer in Ivan Toney who has 14 goals to his name already this season since joining from Peterborough United to replace Ollie Watkins, who moved to Aston Villa.

Toney’s tally of 14 goals is four goals more than Nottingham Forest have managed in the league so far this campaign. Hughton’s side are the joint third lowest scorers in the Championship, with only Derby (eight) and Sheffield Wednesday (nine) scoring fewer.

Before scoring at Norwich on Wednesday evening, Forest had gone six games without scoring a goal, a run that stretched back a month. Brentford meanwhile have the joint sixth best defensive record, with just 15 goals conceded in 17 matches thus far.

Both matches between these sides last season finished 1-0 to Nottingham Forest with Ben Watson, and then Joe Lolley scoring the goals, but Forest were a different side last season. Fighting for automatic promotion for much of the season before fading away after the restart and missing out on the play-offs on goal difference on the final day of the season.

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