Nottingham Forest face a critical Premier League fixture away to Ipswich Town on Friday night as they look to arrest a damaging run of form.
Recent results
Forest's recent form shows a clear slide, with three consecutive league losses. They were narrowly beaten 1-0 at home by Arsenal last Saturday, following a 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace and a 1-0 home loss to Coventry City. Their only win this season came away at Aston Villa in mid-September. Their recent form over the last five games reads one win, one draw and three losses, with the sequence of results being a loss to Arsenal, a loss to Crystal Palace, a loss to Coventry, a win over Aston Villa and a draw with Tottenham. Ipswich's form has been mixed, with a 2-1 home win over Fulham sandwiched between away defeats to Manchester City and Everton. The data shows Forest have scored just five goals in over 630 minutes of Premier League football this season, a key factor in their lowly position, while they have conceded nine for a goal difference of minus four.
Possible line-ups
Based on their last starting elevens, Forest lined up with Sels in goal behind a back four of Jair, Diomande, Murillo and Muñoz. The midfield featured McAtee, Schlager and Williams, with Domínguez and Ndoye supporting striker Delap. Ndoye scored Forest's solitary goal in their last five matches, netting in the 3-1 defeat at Selhurst Park. Ipswich's previous side included Walton in goal, with defenders Dara O'Shea, Diop and Greaves, and a midfield anchored by Florentino and Palacios.
The task for Forest is to find a way to score, having netted only five times all season while conceding nine. They are 16 points adrift of league leaders Manchester City, underlining the scale of the challenge ahead in the campaign.
Friday's trip to Portman Road represents an opportunity to build some momentum before the next set of fixtures. The visitors will be desperate to improve on their recent form of one win and one draw from their last five outings.
