Nottingham Forest will be disappointed not to be in the Championship promotion mix after spending "a helluva lot of money" on players, says Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis.
The Reds tackle Boro at the City Ground on Easter Monday (3pm), having slipped down to 13th place in the table on the back of four straight league defeats - which is their worst run of the season.
Boro are still in the play-offs hunt, in sixth place with three matches left to play.
“Forest is going to be a really tough game and I think everybody understands that," said Pulis.
Newcastle midfielder Jack Colback discusses his future at Nottingham Forest
“When Aitor (Karanka) was there he spent a lot of money there. Martin’s (Martin O'Neill) got a group of players and I’m sure he’ll rotate.
“We’ll also have to look at that. Some of them are on their knees because of the effort they put in against Stoke.
“Aitor (Karanka) spent a helluva lot of money there, they’ve got some good players and they’ll be disappointed they are not in the mix.
“When you look at the league and you look at the clubs, including Stoke and a few others they are not in the mix.
“Thank God we are with three games to go and I’m really delighted for the lads.”
