Nottingham Forest will come up against a familiar face when they kick off the new Championship season next month.
Sabri Lamouchi’s side will start the 2020/21 league campaign on Saturday, September 12, with a trip to QPR, who are managed by ex-Reds boss Mark Warburton.
After agonisingly falling short of a top six place last time round, Forest will be aiming for promotion again when the new term gets underway.
It will be Lamouchi’s second at the helm, after he recently signed a new deal and with the club opting to stick by him in the wake of the disastrous finish to 2019/20.
The Reds’ first home fixture will be against Cardiff City, on September 19, with the Bluebirds having been beaten in the play-offs last month.
Completing the first month for Lamouchi’s men is an away clash at Huddersfield Town, on September 26 - and indeed, three of their first five games will be on the road, with Blackburn Rovers to come, after hosting Bristol City on October 10.
October also sees the first East Midlands derby match of the season, as Derby County visit the City Ground on Saturday 24. The return fixture will see Forest travel to Pride Park on February 27.
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Meanwhile, a busy Christmas programme has the Reds welcoming Birmingham City - now with former Forest manager Aitor Karanka at the helm - on Boxing Day.
They will then head to Stoke City three days later, on December 29, and then go to Preston North End on January 2. In total, they will play eight games in the month of December.
Although the term is starting later than normal, as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the aim is still to complete the second tier programme in early May.
And the Reds will finish at home to Preston North End on Saturday 8 of that month.
Forest returned for pre-season training this week as they gear up for a return to action, amid something of a short turnaround from the last campaign.
There is little more than a fortnight to go before they kick a ball again, with the first round of the Carabao Cup taking place before the Championship starts - the Reds heading to Barnsley on the weekend of Saturday, September 5.
Forest's Championship fixtures in full.
September
12/09/2020 Queens Park Rangers (a) 3pm
19/09/2020 Cardiff City (h) 3pm
26/09/2020 Huddersfield Town (a) 3pm
October
03/10/2020 Bristol City (h) 3pm
17/10/2020 Blackburn Rovers (a) 3pm
20/10/2020 Rotherham United (h) 7.45pm
24/10/2020 Derby County (h) 3pm
28/10/2020 Luton Town (a) 7.45pm
31/10/2020 Middlesbrough (a) 3pm
November
04/11/2020 Coventry City (h) 7.45pm
07/11/2020 Wycombe Wanderers (h) 3pm
21/11/2020 Barnsley (a) 3pm
24/11/2020 A.F.C. Bournemouth (a) 7.45pm
28/11/2020 Swansea City (h) 3pm
December
02/12/2020 Watford (h) 7.45pm
05/12/2020 Reading (a) 3pm
09/12/2020 Norwich City (a) 7.45pm
12/12/2020 Brentford (h) 3pm
15/12/2020 Sheffield Wednesday (h) 7.45pm
19/12/2020 Millwall (a) 3pm
26/12/2020 Birmingham City (h) 3pm
29/12/2020 Stoke City (a) 8pm
January
02/01/2021 Preston North End (a) 3pm
16/01/2021 Millwall (h) 3pm
20/01/2021 Middlesbrough (h) 7.45pm
23/01/2021 Coventry City (a) 3pm
30/01/2021 Barnsley (h) 3pm
February
06/02/2021 Wycombe Wanderers (a) 3pm
13/02/2021 A.F.C. Bournemouth (h) 3pm
17/02/2021 Swansea City (a) 7.45pm
20/02/2021 Blackburn Rovers (h) 3pm
23/02/2021 Rotherham United (a) 7.45pm
27/02/2021 Derby County (a) 3pm
March
02/03/2021 Luton Town (h) 7.45pm
06/03/2021 Watford (a) 3pm
13/03/2021 Reading (h) 3pm
17/03/2021 Norwich City (h) 7.45pm
20/03/2021 Brentford (a) 3pm
April
02/04/2021 Cardiff City (a) 3pm
05/04/2021 Queens Park Rangers (h) 3pm
10/04/2021 Bristol City (a) 3pm
17/04/2021 Huddersfield Town (h) 3pm
20/04/2021 Birmingham City (a) 7.45pm
24/04/2021 Stoke City (h) 3pm
May
01/05/2021 Sheffield Wednesday (a) 3pm
08/05/2021 Preston North End (h) 3pm
