Crucial points at stake at both ends of the table as Swansea City host Nottingham Forest

Swansea City hope to move to within a point of second placed Brentford when they face Nottingham Forest at the Liberty Stadium.

Forest will be looking for a different result to that of just 25 days ago when Swansea came out as 5-1 winners in the FA Cup Fourth Round.

Swansea have been in fantastic form this season and their loss against Manchester City in the FA Cup last week was their first loss in 10 games in all competitions.

Since the 5-1 loss, Forest have gone four games unbeaten, winning two and drawing two, and have only conceding one goal in that time. Ignoring the Cup result, Chris Hughton’s men have only lost one league game in their last 11 and while only conceding six goals in that run, they must see their last match against Swansea as a poor result that’s been swept under the carpet.

Heading into this fixture, Swansea have had a week off due to their scheduled match against Sheffield Wednesday being called off last weekend. This has come as a well-needed break for their squad with the Swans using a similar starting 11 every match.

After their time off from the competition, players such as Jake Bidwell, Connor Roberts and Jamal Lowe will be looking to take advantage of their break and pile a high amount of pressure on Forest’s defence.

Having played out a bore draw against Bournemouth over the weekend, the Reds will feel the need to start some fresh legs after only a four-days off.

Forest’s business during the January transfer window included experienced-marksman Glen Murray. Hughton felt the need to bring in some extra firepower with Lyle Taylor and Lewis Grabban struggling to find the back of the net. The pair have only scored four goals between them since the end of November.

Murray brings in a great wealth of experience for the team and with three goals in his last two games against Swansea, the 37-year-old will be the perfect player to lead the line for the away side.

Victory in South Wales will move Forest above East Midlands rivals Derby into 16th place and could also move them eight points clear of the relegation zone.

 

Team News

For Swansea

The hero of the last match, Liam Cullen, won’t be available for Swansea after limping off against Forest in that emphatic 5-1 win back in January. The 21-year-old scored a brace and put in a man-of-the-match performance for the Swans, but he hasn’t featured since.

For Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest have a lengthy injury list with high-profile players out of action, including; Samba Sow, Harry Arter, Sammy Ameobi and Scott McKenna. 23-year-old Ryan Yates could be in contention after returning to training in the week. Yates was a first-team regular for the Reds before picking up an injury in their 2-1 loss against Middlesbrough back in January.

Match Facts

Since Swansea’s return to the Championship in 2018, there have been some mixed head-to-head results between the two. The Swans are yet to beat Forest at the Liberty Stadium in the league in two attempts, but Steve Cooper’s men will use last month’s FA Cup tie as motivation for their first league win at home against the Reds since their dramatic play-off semi-final win back in 2011.

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