The Nottingham Forest will be playing host to Birmingham City on Saturday afternoon to clinch a victory that will strengthen their hold of a Championship playoff spot with kickoff at 5 pm.
Forest could move up to third this weekend, but Birmingham is just looking to get closer to the 50-point mark now that their second-tier status has been reasserted for another year.
Forest head coach Steve Cooper would accept a playoff spot right now. But with a gap of eight points between his team and second-placed Bournemouth and two more matches to play against the Cherries.
Forest has the opportunity to stay on the hunt for automatic promotion. The Championship club has won six of its last nine matches, including Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over Coventry City.
Brennan Johnson has continued his good form during that fixture, and he has contributed four goals and an assist in his last three league games. Forest’s defense has been equally impressive, the team holding the third-best defensive record in the division, conceding only three times in seven matches.
Birmingham has never really been under threat of relegation despite mixed fortunes and has secured their place in the Championship for the next season. The team has won eight points in the last five games, guaranteeing that they will be in the same division as the other teams next season.
Nottingham Forest vs. Birmingham City Head to Head
Both sides have 25 games against each other, with hosts taking seven wins while visitors with nine wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Nottingham Forest 2-0 Coventry
- Blackpool 1-4 Nottingham Forest
- Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
- Nottingham Forest 3-1 QPR
- Nottingham 4-0 Reading
Away
- Birmingham City 1-0 West Brom
- Swansea 0-0 Birmingham City
- Birmingham City 0- 2 Middlesbrough
- Birmingham City 0-0 Hull City
- Bristol City 1-2 Birmingham
Nottingham Forest Team News
Cooper has spoken about his desire to maintain momentum but will make changes to his Forest XI should they progress. Joe Lolley and Sam Surridge are the most likely to come into the final third, while Cafu may get a run out in the center of the pitch.
Birmingham City Team News
Birmingham coach Lee Clark has confirmed that both Richards and Jutkiewicz will be pushing for recalls to the starting lineup in the absence of Taylor.
Prediction and Odds
Forest supporters expect another professional showing from the Midlands side, who may score a goal in either half to make relatively light work of their opponents.
- Forest Win
- Correct Score: 2-0
- No Score: Away
