Is this the year that Nottingham Forest finally end their two-decade wait for Premier League football?
Sabri Lamouchi’s Reds are firmly entrenched inside the Championship’s top six at the turn of the year, and if Football Manager’s prediction comes to fruition, then they’ll do just enough to stay there.
The popular computer game has simulated the remainder of the campaign and have predicted Forest will finish sixth, and face Swansea City, just as they did in their last foray into the play-offs under Billy Davies in 2013 which ultimately saw the Reds lose at the Liberty Stadium.
Football Manager predicts Lamouchi’s men to rack up 73 points, tied with Fulham in fifth, while Bristol City and the Swans make up the remainder of the top six.
Brentford, who currently sit third in the Championship a place above the Reds are expected to miss out, falling a place and point behind the Reds in seventh.
Going up automatically are West Brom as champions with 87 points, followed by Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United a point further back on 86.
At the other end, Birmingham Barnsley and Luton are three expected to be relegated to League One, with the Tykes and Hatters returning to the third tier at the first attempt.
Forest’s arch-rivals Derby County, who have endured a difficult campaign under Phillip Cocu will end up finishing the season 18th, just above Hull, Stoke and Charlton.
