Nottingham Forest

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest find themselves in the thick of the relegation dogfight as they welcome bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers to the City Ground on Wednesday.

Forest lie 17th, just one place above the drop zone, but West Ham's upturn in fortunes has seen them narrow the gap to just two points - aand would have drawn level but for conceding a last-gasp equaliser to draw with Manchester United on Tuesday.

Sean Dyche's men, therefore, will be desperate to establish some breathing space in the league table when they face a Wolves side with just one league win all season.

A decision for Dyche

The high point of a disappointing 3-1 defeat by Leeds United on Friday was a debut goal for on-loan striker Lorenzo Lucca, just 32 minutes into his Forest career. A solid display as a substitute at Elland Road saw the 6ft 7in Italian make a reasonable case to start this meeting between two of the league's three lowest-scoring sides.

With Chris Wood out injured, it speaks volumes that the Reds' top scorer in the league this season is midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White with just six. One more against his former club will take the England international joint-second in Forest's all-time Premier League goalscoring list, behind the aforementioned Wood.

It's a fixture in which Forest have struggled in recent times, with no wins in their past nine home games against Wolves (drawn five, lost four). They are, however, unbeaten in their last three at the City Ground, with draws either side of a thumping 4-0 Europa League win over Ferencvaros.

Wanderers winless on the road

The prospect of three points away from Molineux seems fanciful for a Wolves side winless in their past 14 Premier League away games (drawn three, lost 11), including all 12 this season.

It's their longest run without a victory on their travels in the top flight since the 2003-04 campaign, when they failed to win any of their 19 and were duly relegated after finishing bottom on goals scored.

In that season, Wolves accrued 33 points, a tally that already feels out of reach for Rob Edwards' side, who are winless in five after that solitary league victory over West Ham on 3 January.

The Old Gold have just eight points on the board this season, the lowest tally after 25 games in the competition's history. Although relegation now seems a formality, they will surely want to surpass Derby County's total of 11 points in the 2007-08 season and avoid being known as mathematically the worst team in the Premier League era.

Wolves lack a predator

A dire defensive record of just two clean sheets in the league all season has been compounded by an inability to find the net. Tolu Arokodare's consolation in the 3-1 loss to Chelsea last week means they now have five players tied as their top league goalscorer on two apiece.

Wolves' shot conversion rate of 6.8% (from 236 efforts) is the worst in the league, with Forest next on 8.4% (from 298 attempts), a damning indictment of both sides' failing forward lines.

I was at Elland Road on Friday and Nottingham Forest were insipid in their defeat by Leeds - they were really flat.

This is a real pressure game for Forest, and in many ways it is the worst possible fixture for them. Wolves are hopeless so, if Forest win, their fans will say 'well we should be beating them, because they are rubbish'.

Lose or even drop points, however, then you can imagine the atmosphere and the mood of the fans, and the pressure that will put on the players.

I don't mean pressure in terms of any calls to sack Forest boss Sean Dyche, but the negativity there will be around the team, when the mood of the fans can be massive when a team is fighting the drop.

Leeds are a great example of that, actually. Just look at the positivity at Elland Road recently and how that has helped Leeds in the past few weeks. It was a very different story when the fans were unhappy earlier in the season.

As for Wolves, well they are not under any pressure any more.

They are playing for pride which is totally different to Forest's situation, where every point counts - and this is going to be a nervy night for the home fans at the City Ground.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Morgan Gibbs-White might leave Nottingham Forest this summer, with Aston Villa viewing with midfielder as an excellent fit. (Teamtalk), external

Brighton accepted an offer from Forest in January for 34-year-old England defender Lewis Dunk, but he wanted to stay. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was meant to be Nottingham Forest's best season in 30 years. The best squad this century, a European campaign and a chance to further ourselves in the Premier League.

The downward spiral since August is well documented. But now every time it feels like we have the chance to progress, we get sucked back into trouble. Which is pretty much the definition of a relegation battle.

Wolves and Burnley could be dead and buried - that doesn't mean Wednesday's home game against Rob Edwards' Wolves will be easy - but dropping points against Leeds United, who looked to be down and out themselves, does not help our cause.

There are now five or six clubs in the battle to avoid 18th place and the rest of the season is going to be ups and downs. We're not the only ones going through a crisis - everyone from Newcastle United in 12th down is having a moment, and you have to wonder what the bottom three will be come May.

Friday's 3-1 defeat against Leeds wasn't helped by the disruption to the back five - with a newly arrived goalkeeper, two full-backs out of position and one of our most valuable players unavailable at centre-back. However, two of the transfer window's new additions had useful cameos, and Luca Netz and Lorenzo Lucca could have pivotal roles to play in the coming weeks.

A weekend off will hopefully give the players time to regroup ahead of the Europa League play-off tie against Fenerbahce as well as matches against Liverpool, Brighton and Manchester City. Four wins and a couple of draws from our remaining 13 games will probably be enough to see us safe, but where and when those points come from is hard to know.

On paper, Sean Dyche is the man you want to see you through this kind of storm. But being nominated for January's manager of the month doesn't mean much in February if we play like we did against Leeds United. This wasn't supposed to happen - but it is.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Manchester City are preparing a £100m summer move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Wolves at the City Ground (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Defender Murillo is a doubt to face Wolves, with Dyche confirming the 23-year-old's fitness is "touch and go".

• Neco Williams will make a return to the matchday squad after serving his suspension for receiving a red card against Crystal Palace.

• Dyche said Matz Sels' injury is "settling down", but they are still unaware when the goalkeeper will make a return.

• He showed solidarity towards Newcastle United's Eddie Howe, after Howe had received criticism. Dyche said: "I was reading about Eddie Howe, brilliant manager, doing a brilliant job - should he be sacked? Three weeks ago, they were saying he should be the Manchester United manager. So, this is the modern way, this is life. Everyone wants everything now - it is clickbait. This is the reality of the job we do."

• Dyche touched on the pressure he had faced whilst being in charge at the City Ground. He said: "It's not about fair anymore. It's just the reality of the modern life as a manager. On the same day I'm [up for] manager of the month, they're saying I should be sacked - the media are saying it - work that one out. That's a new one on me and I've been doing this a long time."

• Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is "always" in contact with Dyche and is "well aware this was a situation where it was not going to be smooth sailing". Dyche added: "We come off the Palace game with a 10 v 11 situation and we got a good point and he congratulated me. I am a realist, and he is as well."

Hear more from Dyche on BBC Sounds

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Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison reacting to Friday's result as Leeds beat Nottingham Forest: "It was bad for Forest. Credit to Leeds, they were outstanding. The players they have brought have done ever so well. The likes of Okafor and Calvert-Lewin look a threat.

"Leeds have a great chance to stay up as Elland Road is one of the hardest places to play.

"Forest were poor - massively poor. They need to be better than that. Pressure will mount on them. I still think they will stay up but it is going to go down to the wire. That was a six-pointer and Leeds were fantastic."

Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards on Nottingham Forest hosting Wolves on Wednesday: "Must win. Simple. The optics of it are terrible if you lose at home to the worst team in the league. They have that dilemma with Europe too. It will be emotional and will capture the attention of the players being in the knockout round.

"We praised Sean Dyche when he came in for making them hard to beat. I'm not so sure they are that hard to beat at the moment. That's when you're in trouble when that is a manager's philosophy - being hard to beat but you aren't."

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Nottingham Forest have confirmed defender Cuiabano has joined Vasco de Gama on loan until the end of 2026, with the Brazilian Serie A side also holding the option to make the deal permanent.

The 22-year-old became the fourth player to sign for Forest from Botafogo over the summer, along with goalkeeper John Victor, striker Igor Jesus and fellow defender Jair Cunha, when he signed a a four-year deal on deadline day of the summer window.

However, Cuiabano has not made an appearance for Forest's first-team since the move.

We asked for your thoughts after Friday's Premier League game between Leeds and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Leeds fans

Olivia: It was a great game to watch. Leeds showed so much flare and discipline. Really well managed and players giving everything for each other. I like the way James Justin stood up for Brenden Aaaronson when there was a bad tackle - no violence, just 'what do you think you're doing?' to the Forest player. The Leeds team is obviously enjoying their football. It's great to see Dan James back. Could have scored more and were creating lots but three is plenty... for now. Loved the crowd atmosphere. Bring on more evening games!

Peter: A superb result which was so very important. The attitude of every Leeds player was fantastic as always, working their socks of for each other. Played excellent football and it was a well-deserved result. We can't relax though as there's still a long way to go. In Daniel Farke we trust. MOT.

James: Farke has a point to prove after his previous experience taking Norwich City into the Premier League didn't end well. This time round with Leeds, he's hungry to show he's got what it takes and he's instilled a confidence in these Leeds players, who are also out to prove they have what it takes to be in this division. On current showings, it looks like they have.

Andy: Taking into account last week's result and the magnitude of Friday's game, I thought every player managed the occasion and pressure fantastically and left everything on the pitch, showing the fight and composure you need to survive in this brutal league. Special mention to our manager, who continues to impress, learn and evolve into a very astute and clever tactician. Roll on, Chelsea!

Forest fans

Tom: Stefan Ortega should never have started. Angus Gunn should have been between the sticks from the start. Don't understand starting Morato when the guy is clearly a liability in defence. Should have taken the £15m for him. And not starting Omari Hutchinson or Lorenzo Lucca when that partnership created our goal? Something needs to change on Wednesday, for sure.

Peter: Forest were inept and woeful. No plan on how to win the game, no fight or ingenuity on how not to lose the game. Sean Dyche looks out of ideas and we appear determined to be relegation candidates at all costs. Something needs to change.

Bob: Absolutely dreadful performance. Second best in every aspect of the game. Forest made Leeds look like world-beaters. No passion, urgency or energy. Embarrassing.

Simon: Forest had an off day and missed Neco Williams and Murillo. Morato gives possession away far too easily and I think it's time up for him. On the plus side, Lucca looks an interesting addition up front. He scored on his debut and he's a big distraction to the opposition defenders just because of his height. Let's see what the next couple of matches bring.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Nicolas Dominguez took his frustration out on Nottingham Forest's water bottles after he was substituted in the 54th minute.

The midfielder's actions - booting the bottles by the dugout - would have spoken for the entire squad and coaching staff.

It was a wet, wretched night at Elland Road which - come the end of the season - may be viewed as pivotal in the survival race.

Forest, like Leeds, had the chance to move nine points clear of West Ham, but the deficit could be worryingly down to just three on Saturday.

It was not just a missed opportunity, but one they failed to show up for. Bar a 10-minute spell in the first half - where they had a few chances - they were out-thought, outplayed and outfought.

Even skipper Morgan Gibbs-White was replaced in the second period, to signify Forest's struggles, and not even a pitchside discussion with boss Sean Dyche seemed to convince him it was the right decision.

Wins at West Ham and Brentford had kept Forest clear of the bottom three, but the danger of the drop still looms large after this disappointing display and defeat.

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche, speaking to Sky Sports: "The killer for us was giving away the goal. We responded somewhat and then they scored a second. I said at half-time we've got to rethink. Then we conceded really quickly and the third goal is awful as well. There's no qualms about the result - they were better than us.

"We've had late changes, which is not perfect. You've got to do the basics and we didn't do them. The goals are awful for our standards. You can't give away chances like that at this level. The mentality was good at the end, we were still pushing, but it would have been getting out of jail. Our performance wasn't there."

On playing against the Elland Road atmosphere: "We all know their form and what you've got to do. We've dealt with other teams better than we've dealt with them. We were turning the game and it's just such a poor first goal."

On whether he rues missed chances at 0-0: "That's the truth of football. It's ifs and ands after the game. We had two really good chances and didn't put them away - that can happen. I'm just so frustrated with the goal. The basic principles went out the window."

On the impact of having to make a late change: "It's not the perfect scenario when you lose a centre-half late on. All the subs did fine when they came on. There's positives in the way they reacted and we kept going at the end, but the negatives for me are three awful goals."

On needing to move on: "It's always move on quickly. There's been a lot of good work here and that's a reminder that if you don't keep your foot on the gas, you can get hurt at this level."

Hear more from Dyche on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Nottingham Forest have lost two of their past three Premier League games against newly promoted opponents, more than their previous 15 such games since their promotion in 2022.

• Aged 19 years and 269 days, Zach Abbott became just the third teenager to start a Premier League game for Forest, after Marlon Harewood against West Ham in 1998 and Chris Doig against Coventry City in 1999.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Leeds' performance

What did you make of Forest's display?

Come back on Saturday for a selection of your replies

Boss Daniel Farke makes just one change for Leeds for their crucial game with fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.

The injured Anton Stach drops out with Noah Okafor replacing him.

James Justin is fit to start after a toe injury while Dan James is on the bench after a hamstring injury along with Jaka Bijol, who has been nursing his own hamstring problem.

Lukas Nmecha also returns to the squad but Facundo Buonanotte misses out.

Leeds XI: Darlow, Bogle, Gudmundsson, Rodon, Struijk, Justin, Ampadu, Gruev, Aaronson, Okafor, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Perri, Bijol, Bornauw, Tanaka, Longstaff, Piroe, James, Gnonto, Nmecha

Stefan Ortega makes his Nottingham Forest debut with Matz Sels out with a groin injury.

The goalkeeper joined from Manchester City this week and is one of three changes for Forest.

Morato replaces the suspended Neco Williams while defender Zach Abbott makes his full Premier League debut with Murillo missing from the squad.

Nottingham Forest XI: Ortega, Morato, Abbott, Milenkovic, Aina, Sangare, Anderson, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Jesus

Subs: Gunn, Yates, McAtee, Awoniyi, Ndoye, Lucca, Hutchinson, Jair Cunha, Netz

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

The result of this game between two relegation-threatened sides, currently separated only by goals scored, could do much for the mood in both camps. A win for either team on Friday night would open up a nine-point buffer above the relegation zone. Lose, and that gap could be down to three by Saturday evening.

Both sides are in decent form, with Leeds only losing two of their past 11 league games and Nottingham Forest enjoying a season's best four-match unbeaten run.

Leeds upping the ante

Leeds manager Daniel Farke was phlegmatic after his side's first defeat in six home games last weekend, a 4-0 thumping by league leaders Arsenal, and he believes 12 more points will be enough to stay up.

"Three wins and three draws, six positive results from 14 games," he said on Thursday. "I would back my players to get six positive results."

He has every reason to be confident. During their considerable improvement over the past two months, Leeds have beaten Chelsea at Elland Road and held Liverpool, twice, and Manchester United to draws.

Since their change of formation to 3-5-2 from the start of that run, Leeds have significantly increased their work-rate and intensity – which were already high beforehand.

They're covering almost 2km more per game from the beginning of December onwards – for an average of 115.8km – and are closing down their opponents with greater regularity. The Whites rank second in the Premier League for both metrics.

That high tempo is likely to be aided by the enhanced atmosphere at a night match. Leeds have won all four of their Premier League kick-offs at 7.30pm or later this season, with the highlight being a 4-1 thumping of Crystal Palace before Christmas when the energy of the crowd translated into on-pitch dominance.

Farke admits: "I'm a football romantic, I love the atmosphere under the floodlights at Elland Road when everyone is buzzing. The good record is no guarantee but we hope for a very special atmosphere again."

Improving Forest's unwanted record

Nottingham Forest have taken eight points from their past four matches, including consecutive away wins. They came from behind in November's reverse fixture against Leeds to earn a first Premier League victory under head coach Sean Dyche.

It means Forest are looking to complete the league double over Leeds for only the second time in the top flight, after 1995-96.

However, while Forest have the best head-to-head points tally among the current bottom six sides, with 12 points and only one defeat from seven meetings, they hold an unwanted record at Elland Road.

In 25 top-flight fixtures there, Nottingham Forest have never kept a clean sheet. It's the second longest such away streak in top-flight history, behind Birmingham City's run of conceding in all 37 visits to Blackburn Rovers.

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests.

His guest for week 25 is Gladiators star Apollo, real name Alex Gray, who supports Newcastle.

Sutton says: "I am at this game and we are getting to the stage where it really matters how the teams fighting relegation do in their head-to-head-battles like this.

"I think the bottom two, Wolves and Burnley are down, but you don't know what West Ham will do from here.

"There are signs they may click, so with Leeds and Nottingham Forest both on 26 points, this is big for both of them.

"From a Leeds point of view, their home form has carried them a lot this season.

"They got walloped at Elland Road by Arsenal last weekend but they just have to put that behind them for this game because, as the season has gone on, they have proved that they can be competitive.

"Forest's away form is actually better than their home form - they have picked up 14 points on the road compared to 12 at the City Ground, in the same number of games.

"Sean Dyche's side were comfortable with 10 men against Crystal Palace last time out and they have won their past two away games too, against Brentford and the Hammers. Overall, they are unbeaten in four league games, which is the longest they have gone without losing all season.

"As you can see, I've looked into all the stats for you - but will my research help me get my prediction right? Probably not.

"This is going to be a very tight affair, and Forest won't worry about having much possession, but scoring goals has been a bigger problem for them because they have missed Chris Wood badly - only Wolves have scored fewer than them.

"Forest have brought in 6ft 7in striker Lorenzo Lucca on loan from Napoli to try and fill the gap left by Wood's long-term knee injury but he has not been in great form in Serie A this season.

"So, after a great deal of thought, I am going to back Leeds at home - although now I've said that it will probably end up as a 1-1 draw.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Apollo's prediction: 3-2

AI's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nottingham Forest defender Nicolas Domínguez speaking about managerial changes on the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football: "It's difficult because everybody has a different philosophy in the game. Now, I believe we're similar to [former manager] Nuno [Espirito Santos], which is good for us.

"We need to stick together, the group is good and the squad has a good feeling", he said.

"This is important because this year the expectation is different because of a good year last year.

"It's difficult, but it's important we stay as a unit and together. The most important thing is playing game by game."

Speaking about the style under Dyche, Dominguez added: "In my personal opinion, he's the most I have run. In this league you have to run, and after win the ball we try to play.

"Tactically with him we are a little bit more compact in shape and defend well."

Listen to the full episode here

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It could come down to fine margins at Elland Road.

Nottingham Forest travel to Leeds knowing the victors would move nine points clear of the Premier League's relegation zone.

They are level on 26 points, six ahead of West Ham, and on goal different - with 16th placed Leeds holding the slender advantage having scored seven more.

But the winners will hold a commanding lead at least until the Hammers' trip to Burnley on Saturday as Daniel Farke and Sean Dyche look to take a giant leap to safety.

There will be nerves and expectation in equal measure on Friday night and one mistake could make the difference - which is where Leeds have the edge.

The hosts have made the fewest errors leading to a shot [11] in the Premier League this season and no team has made fewer mistakes leading to a goal than Leeds' three - Arsenal, Bournemouth, Manchester City and Manchester United have also made three.

Meanwhile, only Tottenham [28] have made more errors leading to a shot than Forest [27] while only four sides have made more leading to a goal than Forest's six.

Although, despite Leeds' stats, they have the worst save percentage and have conceded seven more goals than expected given the number and quality of chances they have faced.

Only Wolves [+12.4] and Bournemouth [+8] have underperformed their xG by more.

Both teams still tipped for survival

Forest have not been as solid at the back as Leeds - they have given up 20 more shots than this weekend's opponents and only Burnley [48.2] and West Ham [41.1] have given up more xG against in the league

While Leeds have conceded far more than expected [42], Forest have conceded fewer [35], mainly due to Matz Sels in goal although the Belgium international is likely to miss out this evening with a groin injury.

Yet both teams are tipped to stay up ahead of the current bottom three of West Ham, Burnley and Wolves.

The bottom two of Burnley and Wolves are rated to be all but down according to Opta, with West Ham having a 83.3% change of relegation to the Championship.

That is despite only Wolves [15] scoring fewer goals than Forest's 24.

But that is mainly due to Forest not taking their chances - they have had more shots than eight other teams but only Wolves [6.7%] have a worse shot conversion rate than their 8.5%.

Leeds have also struggled to finish their chances with only four teams, including Forest and Wolves, below their 10.4%.

Former Nottingham Forest defender James Perch discussing transfers on the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football: "If you're the selling club you know that clubs are really desperate for players [in January].

"So Celtic would of know Forest are desperate for midfielders, and can almost name their price."

Forest were linked with a move for Celtic's Arne Engels, and made three bids, the last worth up to £25m.

"I think everyone is petrified of breaking the PSR rules" added Perch. "It has such a hold on clubs now, who would usually spend £50m or £100m on players.

"Now, they're being more cautious to avoid a points deduction."

Get more debate on Forest's transfer business on the full episode here

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds