On Tuesday evening, Nottingham Forest will be targeting a third successive Championship victory when they play host to Barnsley with kickoff at 10:45 pm.
The home side is currently 5th in the table, while the visitors are 8 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the league.
As the season progresses, Steve Cooper will consistently expect more goals from his Forest side. So far, the East Midlands outfit has netted just six times in as many matches in all competitions.
However, Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Derby County was their second win in succession, extending another run to five triumphs from seven outings.
The competitiveness of the Championship is that they remain four points adrift of the top six, but Cooper and his squad appear to be grinding out victories more consistently than their rivals.
On Saturday, Barnsley’s loss at Birmingham City was their ninth successive league match without a win.
The fact that it is still well short of their longest streak without a victory this season tells you everything that you need to know about the team’s fortunes.
Poya Asbaghi knows that he can ill-afford many more games without breaking their current streak.
Tykes postponements due to the coronavirus cannot be used as an excuse when many other teams are in the same situation.
Nottingham Forest vs. Barnsley Head to Head
Both sides have 22 games against each other, with each side taking eight wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Nottham Forest 2-1 Derby County
- Millwall 0-1 Nottham
- Nottham 1-0 Arsenal
- Nottham 0-1 Huddersfield
- Middlesbrough 2-0 Nottham
Away
- Birmingham City 2-1 Barnsley
- Barnsley 5-4 Barrow
- Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Barnsley
- Barnsley 0-0 West Brom
- Preston North End 2-1 Barnsley
Nottingham Forest Team News
Cooper must choose between keeping Max Lowe in the Forest XI or bringing Joe Worrall back into the next game. In that case, Tobias Figueiredo could play center-back, Ryan Yates could move into midfield, and Jack Colback would play left wing-back.
Barnsley Team News
Barnsley’s starting lineup will be influenced by how many players recover from the virus and if other squad members are fit to come into contention. Michal Helik overcame injury to last 90 minutes against Birmingham, but Jasper Moon is an option if Asbaghi does not take any risks on the center-back.
Prediction and Odds
Barnsley have shown passion and fight in some of their recent matches, but they still do not possess the confidence to win against the better teams.
- Nottingham Forest Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- Most Goals: 2H
