Nottingham Forest welcome Luton Town to the City Ground on Tuesday evening at 19:45 GMT, as both sides look to edge themselves further away from danger and towards the top-half of the division. 

The Reds return home looking to redeem two late points dropped in a closely contested East Midlands Derby last Friday night - which finished 1-1 at Pride Park. 

Luton suffered an early onslaught but battled back in a game of two halves against a struggling Sheffield Wednesday side - winning 3-2 at Kenilworth Road. 

  • Team news

Forest striker Lewis Grabban is expected to return to first team training this week, however, he has been ruled out of the Hatters trip. 

Ryan Yates missed last Friday's East Midlands Derby with a knock, but is now back fit. Reds boss Chris Hughton revealed ‘a late decision' will be made on Yates' involvement on Tuesday evening. 

Scott McKenna has made progress on his ankle injury, but will remain sidelined for a few weeks to build-up full fitness and sharpness once again. 

It's expected Jones will name a similar lineup to the second-half side that inspired that terrific comeback against the Owls

Elijah Adebayo is likely to have cemented his position in the Hatters starting 11, after scoring in the last outing to double his tally and add to the assist he has accumulated since joining from Walsall in January. 

  • Ones to watch 

James Garner 

Manchester United loanee, James Garner, has been a fantastic January edition for Hughton's side. 

The exciting midfielder scored his first goal in Forest's last outing, however, the 19-year-old has been notably impressive thanks to his delightful passing range and ability. 

Garner has slotted into the Reds' midfield perfectly alongside Cafu and fellow new loan signing Filip Krovinovic -  as they continue to claw away from the drop zone, after a lengthy season of struggle thus far. 

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 

Luton have also enjoyed the performances of a Premier League loan star this campaign, in the form of - Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

The Leicester City youngster joined the Hatters earlier this season after a successful loan spell with Blackpool in League One last term. 

Dewsbury-Hall is a dynamic and versatile midfielder that can roam and play box-to-box, therefore playing as a nuisance at both ends of the pitch for the opposition. 

The 22-year-old has scored two goals and contributed four assists so far this campaign, but alongside the contributions offers great energy and natural ability to Luton's midfield. 

  • Recent form 

A quick glance over the Championship table would present an evenly matched encounter between 14th placed Luton and the hosts who occupy 16th - but who does the form book swing in favour of?​​​​

The Reds have formed a much stronger defensive base since the turn of the year and are enjoying their best form of the season. 

In their past 10 league outings, Forest have won five, losing two and keeping an impressive total of five clean sheets. 

A positive start to the season meant Luton occupied a top-half position when the two clubs last met in October, however, three wins from their last 10 has seen them slowly fall down the division. 

Despite inconsistent runs of form, the Hatters remain a much improved outfit during their second Championship season since promotion from Sky Bet League One in 2018/19. 

  • Previous meetings 

Wednesday evening will be the 65th meeting between the two clubs, as the Reds look to continue their impressive record against the Hatters in recent times. 

Forest have run out victors in three of the sides past five fixtures - which date back to December 2007. 

This season's reverse fixture saw Forest battle back from one goal behind to claim a point, in a 1-1 draw at Kenilworth Road that saw Hughton's men reduced to 10. 

  • How to watch 

Tuesday evening's Championship clash is available to watch on Sky Go Extra, Sky Sports Red button, or alternatively, via iFollow on Nottingham Forest and Luton Town's respective club websites. 

IFollow match-passes are available for the price of £10 per match. 

 

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