The pressure is on Nottingham Forest to return to winning ways this weekend when they visit Luton Town for the first time since 2007.
Forest have lost their last two Championship games following a 10-game unbeaten run, and have seen themselves fall to 10th in the league after Saturday’s home date with Reading fell victim to the weather.
Town, meanwhile, also succumbed to defeat in their previous two, which has left them hovering just above the drop zone.
Kingsley Black, who played more than a century of games for both clubs, believes Sabri Lamouchi’s Reds and the Hatters will see the sold-out Kenilworth Road meeting as a game neither can afford to lose.
“I’m sure from Forest’s point of view, they’re going to be looking at this as an opportunity, as indeed Luton are,” he told Dunstable Today.
“Both have lost the last two games and then sometimes you get a little bit like, ‘we need to get a result here, or certainly not lose.’
“Both teams will view it as an opportunity, so you might see a fairly open game, both teams going for it.
“I’d going to stick my neck out and say 2-1 to Luton and be hopeful of that.”
The game has been a sell-out for both sets of supporters for a few weeks now, and Black, who calls Luton home, believes they can look forward to an open game and one the fans will get behind.
“The home crowd has always been excellent to get behind the side and it’s important to start well, get the crowd behind you and just go for it a little bit, within reason,” said the 51-year-old.
"You don’t want to be too cavalier, but on the front foot and looking to play forward and create things.
"The Luton crowd have always thrived on that, so it lifts them and then they lift you really, it can work massively in our favour when the crowd get behind you."
The striker arrived at Forest in 1991, after Brian Clough paid £1.5m for his services, and despite wearing the Garibaldi more than 100 times, his heart belongs to the Hatters, he says.
“I look at the result and see how they’re (Forest) doing as I was there for five years.
“However as a Luton Town supporter that’s different, I support them and played for them as that’s my home town.
“They’ve done very well, because of the real jump to go into the Championship and that’s where the big money starts.
"The competition will have a bigger budget than Luton by a considerable amount I would dare say, and you’re trying to compete at a level against those teams every week, who have got more money to spend.
“So I think Luton are doing really well, obviously we want them to be a bit higher than they are now.
“But you’re playing against super players, so that’s not a criticism, it’s a step up.”
