It has been a turbulent week in football and for once, Blues haven’t been involved. Instead, Bowyer’s men have been looking towards tonight game against Nottingham Forest.
Although Blues aren’t mathematically safe just yet, 48 points should be enough for another season in the championship, and that assumes we don’t pick up any more points between now and the end of the season. Although, as I’m writing this Rotherham are currently 1 up against Middlesbrough. Tonight’s game is the first of a double header against the East Midlands sides, with a trip to struggling Derby at the weekend.
LAST TIME OUT
BLUES
A massive win at the weekend against Rotherham has all but secured safety for the Blues. A Harlee Dean 88th minute header was enough to take home all 3 points, leaving The Millers with a real battle to stay up. It wasn’t the best performance from Blues, but that didn’t matter, winning a game even when we’re not at our best shows us how far we have come since Karanka.
Forest
Forest fell to their first defeat in 5 games at the weekend, losing to championship strugglers Huddersfield with two second half goals from The Terriers enough to hand them victory. Hughtons Forest have been poor this season, after falling just short of the playoffs last season under Sabri Lamouchi they currently sit in 17th place on 49 points.
Team News
BLUES
Bowyer faces no fresh injury worries, with just Jon Toral (hamstring) and Alen Halilović (ankle) out through injury.
Forest
Chris Hughton will be without Sammy Ameobi and Tobias Figueiredo. The good news is that Joe Lolley won’t be able to score against us, as he is out for the remainder of the season
ONE TO WATCH
This was a difficult one I can’t lie, Forest top scorer this season has just 4 goals. So for the first time on one of these previews I’m going to go with their goalkeeper. Brice Samba has kept 13 clean sheets this season, 6th highest in the league. The Congolese shot stopper is also very “educated” in the art of time wasting, think back to the days of Lee Camp and you should know what I’m on about.
PREDICTED LINEUP
Simple really, unchanged. Only swap Bowyer may go for is Hogan in for Leko, and now that I’m thinking about it possibly Sanchez behind the two strikers instead of McGree. But will be surprised if Bowyer makes any more than this.
A Line from the managers
Bowyer
We have put ourselves in a very good position to stay in this division. I knew coming here we had a good squad, and I believed in this group. Every game is hard and it is finding a way to win, and we have been doing that
Hughton
We would expect a tough game anyway but with the form they are in, they are playing at home, they have picked up some good results. We expect a very difficult game, as we would have done before. They have found a way of getting results and we will have to be guarded against that.