It’s been a dreadful run of form for Nottingham Forest in the last two weeks, a run which has seen them go from play-offs challengers to mid-table.
The Reds have a hectic Easter weekend starting at Bramall Lane on Good Friday, where they’ll take on a Sheffield United side still gunning for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
While Forest’s hopes of promotion are now a distant pipe dream after three damaging defeats, there’s still plenty for under pressure manager Martin O’Neill and his players to prove.
O’Neill has come under fire from some sections of Forest fans in recent weeks, with his side booed off after last Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers, and at Bramall Lane, Reds fans want to see him go for an attacking line-up.
Unsurprisingly, Joao Carvalho is given the nod to start as part of an attacking unit which also includes Joe Lolley and Matty Cash, in support of leading scorer Lewis Grabban.
Carvalho has struggled to force his way into O’Neill’s plans since replacing Aitor Karanka as manager, starting just one game – the defeat to Aston Villa in mid-March.
Sheffield United prepared to 'go for the jugular' against Nottingham Forest
Fans were singing the record signing’s name in the second half of Saturday’s defeat to Rovers, and the majority want the Portuguese to start in the Steel City.
In midfield, Jack Colback, who continues to walk a disciplinary tightrope knowing a booking in Sheffield would see him miss the remaining three games of the season, would start alongside another O’Neill outcast in Claudio Yacob.
At the back, Costel Pantilimon keeps his place in goal ahead of Luke Steele, with Sam Byram once again continuing his comeback with a spot at right-back ahead of the fit-again Tendayi Darikwa and Saidy Janko.
Ex-Nottingham Forest manager Steve McClaren says he would return to former club 'immediately'
Coming in from the cold for his first outing since that 3-1 defeat to Villa is Swede Alex Milosevic, who is picked to partner Yohan Benalouane with Jack Robinson returning to left-back after the Colback experiment almost a week ago.
Algerian striker Hillal Soudani gives Nottingham Forest welcome injury boost
