Nottingham Forest must recover from their FA Cup semifinal defeat when they host Brentford in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
The rearranged fixture comes just four days after Wembley heartbreak for Nuno Espirito Santo's side as they missed the opportunity to book an FA Cup final clash with Crystal Palace. Goals early in both halves saw them beaten by last year's runners-up Manchester City in the capital.
Fortunately for Forest, they still have much riding on the final five games of their Premier League campaign. They are tantalisingly close to qualifying for the Champions League but must finish in the top five to achieve their ambitions, with victory on Thursday taking them up to third in the standings.
Brentford still harbour slim European hopes themselves. An eighth-placed finish could be enough to secure Europa Conference League football next summer and the Bees will be just two points from Fulham in eighth should they win at Forest midweek. Defeat, however, would more or less rule out any late drama for Thomas Frank's side this term.
Here is Sports Illustrated's guide to the encounter.
What Time Does Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford Kick-Off?
- Location: Nottingham, England
- Stadium: City Ground
- Date: Thursday 1 May
- Kick-off Time: 19:30 BST / 14:30 ET / 11:30 PT
- Referee: Darren England
- VAR Craig Pawson
Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Nottingham Forest: 1 win
- Brentford: 2 wins
- Draws: 2
- Last meeting: Brentford 0-2 Nottingham Forest (21 December 2024) - Premier League
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford on TV
Nottingham Forest Team News
Espirito Santo was coy on the fitness of Forest right back Ola Aina, who has been absent since the beginning of the month with a calf injury. "We will assess him and see how fast he can return to the team," stated the Portuguese before the Brentford game.
Elsewhere, Forest have few injury concerns, although Espirito Santo admitted that several players must be assessed after the exhausting clash with City at the weekend.
Ryan Yates and Neco Williams could return to the starting lineup after serving suspensions on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs. Brentford
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Toffolo; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Brentford Team News
Aaron Hickey and Igor Thiago have been absent for lengthy spells, particularly the former, but both are close to making comebacks after returning to full training. However, they will be eased back into the equation as they get back up to full match fitness and won't be available for the Forest clash as per Frank.
Brentford Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest
Brentford predicted lineup vs. Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Flekken; Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Yarmolyuk; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa.
Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford Score Prediction
Forest must quickly put their weekend disappointment behind them and Espirito Santo's side have seldom struggled to recover from setbacks this term. Their consistency and unflappability has been integral to their push for Champions League qualification and they should bounce back on Thursday.
Brentford have proven tricky customers this season and boast the attacking personnel capable of unlocking Forest's typically watertight defence, but home advantage and added motivation should work in favour of the Tricky Trees.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Brentford
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nottingham Forest vs. Brentford: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
