Nottingham Forest will be looking to end a four-game winless run in the Premier League when they play host to Luton Town at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.
While the Tricky Trees currently sit 14th in the table, the Hatters find themselves three places and five points further back in 17th after eight games.
Match preview
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Since securing an impressive 1-0 away victory over Chelsea at the beginning of September, Nottingham Forest have drawn three and lost one of their last four league matches, including back-to-back draws with Brentford and Crystal Palace in their final two fixtures before the international break.
Steve Cooper was able to take positives from the goalless stalemate with Palace, particularly the clean sheet, and believes that the fact that his side left a notoriously difficult ground to play at in Selhurst Park disappointed with just a point is a sign of progress made by the club.
Forest have picked up nine points from their first eight games this campaign, five more than they managed at this stage last season, and they could move eight points clear of the relegation zone with a victory on Saturday.
Many would consider this weekend's encounter with Luton as one of Forest's easiest fixtures on paper, but the Tricky Trees will not take the Hatters lightly as they have failed to win any of their last four league meetings, losing and drawing two games each, with all four taking place in the Championship between 2020 and 2022.
Forest will welcome a return to the City Ground, though, where they have lost just two of their last 18 Premier League home matches and currently boast a six-game unbeaten run which includes a 2-1 win and 1-1 draw with newly-promoted duo Sheffield United and Burnley respectively.
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Luton looked to be settling into life in the Premier League when they picked up four points across two games against Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers in September, but they were brought back down to earth courtesy of back-to-back defeats by Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur before the international break.
A disappointing 2-1 home loss to Burnley – a game they would have targeted to win – was followed just four days later by a slender 1-0 defeat to Spurs, with the Hatters unable to capitalise on Yves Bissouma's first-half red card as Micky Van de Ven's 52nd-minute goal was enough for the visitors to claim maximum points and climb to the summit.
Rob Edwards felt that his Luton side "left points out there" against Spurs and rued a number of missed opportunities to score, but nevertheless was proud of the spirited performance from his players against one of the league's in-form teams.
Luton, who are hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference, will be keen to avoid a third successive loss this weekend before heading into a challenging run of fixtures against Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United.
The Hatters enter Saturday's contest having only won one of their last 14 away games against Forest, but they are unbeaten in their last two visits to the City Ground including a 1-0 victory in March 2021.
Team News
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Nottingham Forest duo Taiwo Awoniyi (groin) and Danilo (hamstring) require at least a few more weeks in recovery, while Gonzalo Montiel will join them on the sidelines after being forced off with a muscle problem while on international duty with Argentina.
Nuno Tavares (groin), Felipe, Wayne Hennessey (both knee), Ola Aina (muscle) and Serge Aurier (groin) are also nursing injuries, but they are all closing in on a return and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Moussa Niakhate is available for selection after serving a one-match ban last time out, and the defender is in contention to start at either centre-back or left-back; former Wolves man Willy Boly and Murillo should continue in central defence, though, so Harry Toffolo could therefore be replaced if Niakhate returns to the first XI.
Chris Wood is set to lead the line in Awoniyi's absence, while Anthony Elanga will be looking to replace either Callum Hudson-Odoi or Morgan Gibbs-White in attack.
As for Luton, Mads Andersen has been ruled out for "months" with a hamstring injury and will join Amari'i Bell, Albert Sambi Lokonga (both hamstring), Dan Potts and Jordan Clark (both ankle) on the sidelines, while Gabriel Osho could be in a position to make his first appearance of the season following a lengthy spell out with a knee problem.
After using a 4-4-2 formation against Spurs, Edwards may consider reverting to a more familiar 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 system, with Issa Kabore potentially returning at right wing-back and Teden Mengi starting in central defence alongside Reece Burke and captain Tom Lockyer.
Ross Barkley and Tahith Chong will push to return in centre-midfield, while Jacob Brown, Elijah Adebayo and Chiedozie Ogbene will all battle to start in attack with first-choice striker Carlton Morris; Andros Townsend, meanwhile, is in contention to make his debut after joining the club on a short-term deal last week.
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Turner; Williams, Boly, Murillo, Toffolo; Sangare, Mangala, Dominguez; Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Luton Town possible starting lineup:
Kaminski; Burke, Lockyer, Mengi; Kabore, Mpanzu, Nakamba, Barkley, Doughty; Adebayo, Morris
We say: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Luton Town
Both Forest and Luton can head into Saturday's contest with optimism of claiming a positive result, but the hosts will be regarded as favourites to come out on top considering their strong home form.
Despite the absence of Awoniyi, there were enough signs in the draw with Palace to suggest that Forest have other attacking options at their disposal who can cause problems in the final third, and they should ultimately do enough to secure a narrow victory over the Hatters.
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Top tip
Oliver Thomas
