Nottingham Forest will be hoping to kick on from last week's impressive FA Cup win as they look to improve on what has been a tough start to the season.
They take on Millwall at the City Ground this Saturday in the SkyBet Championship, with the London side entering the clash off the back of a solid 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in midweek.
• Team News
Forest midfielder, Luke Freeman, looks likely to return this week after suffering from a hernia problem since November. He began first team training a few weeks ago and looks like he might make the bench for Saturday's affair.
Fouad Bachirou is doubtful but could return after dealing with a hamstring issue. 31-year-old, Jack Colback, will be the only certain absentee as he still seems to be struggling, but aside from that, Reds boss, Chris Houghton, has a fully fit outfit to choose from.
Millwall will have defender, Murray Wallace, back available for selection as he returns from suspension.
Lions manager, Gary Rowett, now has an injury and suspension free squad to choose from but a decision regarding who starts in attack lingers over him with Mason Bennett, Kenneth Zahore, Jon Dadi Bodvardsson, Matt Smith and Troy Parrott all pushing for a start.
• Predicted Lineups
Nottingham Forest: Samba, Ribeiro, Worrall, Figueiredo, Christie, Sow, Arter, Ameobi, Lolley, Knockaert, Taylor
Millwall: Bialkowski, Cooper, Pearce, Hutchinson, Malone, Woods, Leonard, McNamara, Parrott, Smith, Wallace
• Ones to watch
The first half of the season has proved to be fairly difficult for the Reds. After picking up just five wins from 23 games, there has not really been a stand out performer for the midlands side.
But that's not to say the Forest squad doesn't posses any quality. Wide man, Joe Lolley, has hit a combined 39 goals and assists in his last two Championship seasons. Whilst he only has one goal to his name so far this season, his quality in the final third is always a threat to any opposition.
30-year-old, Lyle Taylor, is also one to keep an eye on. He fired home 11 goals in just 22 appearances last season for Charlton Athletic. Again, his return this season is not spectacular with a tally of just four goals but give him a chance in front of goal and he will punish you.
Millwall have also performed below expectation in the first half of the season. They, like Forest, have only won five games this campaign and have struggled to maintain a consistent run of form.
Winger, Jed Wallace, is the main danger man for the Lions. He has six goals and two assists so far this season and his willingness to run in behind the opposition defence is certainly something for Forest to keep and eye on.
Tom Bradshaw has, however, offered the best minutes per goal rate this season for the Lions, averaging a goal every 215 minutes. He was also on the scoresheet when these two sides met four weeks ago.
• Previous Meetings
These two sides have met 19 times previously, with Millwall having won seven, Nottingham Forest having won five and there has been seven draws.
Their last meeting was just four weeks ago, where the game finished 1-1, goals from Bradshaw and Alex Mighten shared the spoils.
Millwall haven't lost to Forest in their last six meetings.
The last time the Reds won this fixture was back in August 2017, when a Barry McKay goal meant Forest ran away 1-0 victors.
Last time out:
• Where to watch
This game kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday 16 January 2021.
Forest fans can tune into the game by purchasing a video match pass, which can be found on the iFollow part of their website for a cost of £10.
The same process can be followed on the Millwall website found here.
• What the managers have said
Reds boss Houghton was fully aware of what to expect in Saturdays clash, telling the Nottingham Forrest website:
“You know what you are going to get from their side and you know what you are going to get from the individuals that play. They have got really good quality in the squad and they are a hard-working team as well.
"They can mix it up, when we played against them they were fairly direct, going from back to front fairly quickly. We saw them in a different shape at Bournemouth, trying to play a bit more through the thirds. They are able to mix up their game, but whichever way they go, with formation or which individuals play, they will be a hard-working team.”