Nottingham Forest seek to move further away from the drop as they play host to mid-table Millwall

Despite being unbeaten in their last five matches in the Championship, Chris Hughton’s side sit just three points above the relegation zone.

In amongst the January transfer window, Forest face an extremely important part of their season if they’re to avoid the ever-looming drop to League One.

Meanwhile, the Bermondsey side, Millwall are just four points above Forest. On worse form, this fixture has all the features of a six-pointer at this stage in the season.

It’s less than a month ago since both Forest and Millwall played each other which resulted in a 1-1 draw with goals coming from Tom Bradshaw for the Lions and Alex Mighten for the travelling side.

Hughton’s Forest appear to be on the up, with loanee Anthony Knockaert extending his loan until the end of the season.

The sleeping giants will look to spur on and avoid ending up in the torrid situation of facing relegation. A win on Saturday can reignite Forest, lifting them up to as high as 18^th place depending on other results.

The East Midlands side come into the game after beating Cardiff City in the FA Cup, moving the club into the fourth round. Whilst Millwall eased past non-league side, Boreham Wood.

Gary Rowett’s Lions are unbeaten in their last six matches against Nottingham Forest, their last defeat came at The City Ground back in 2017.

Millwall will look to rely on forward Matt Smith this weekend, after earning the travelling Lion’s a point at the Vitality Stadium, scoring within a minute when coming on as a substitute. Smith is the club’s second top scorer so this season with only four goals, two behind Jed Wallace.

Lyle Taylor remains Forest’s top scorer with five goals in all competitions however with an average of a goal every five games, Taylor is out of form. However, it’s the Championship. A change in form is imminent for the former Charlton Athletic forward who scored 36 goals in 67 matches at the Addicks, although at the age of 30 perhaps this is too late for Forest’s frontman to rekindle his goal-scoring ability at Charlton.

Hughton faces tricky selection decisions after his team’s home win against Cardiff, after making eight changes to his starting XI. The heart of the manager’s worries sit with the centre of defence, with Joe Worrall being one of three survivors from the previous match against Preston North End.

Both teams will enjoy having all their players available for the clash at The City Ground, an important game for Forest should see the relegation entertainers step up to the challenge of Millwall.

Yet to score this season, Tottenham Hotspur loanee Troy Parrott will look to open his scoring account for Millwall. With fans of the club becoming concerned of the players recent performances, It’s time for the Irishman to find the back of the net for the Lions.

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