Nottingham Forest will face Huddersfield Town in the final, which will determine which team will be promoted to the Premier League following the final whistle.

It'll be third time lucky for Forest manager Steve Cooper, who will be trying to avenge his two previous play-off defeats while in charge of Swansea City. The Welshman has turned the Reds around from a bottom-three team to a play-off finalist since his arrival in Nottingham.

Under Steve Cooper, Forest have only lost eight of their 44 games, with one defeat coming at home to Huddersfield. Cooper, however, was able to avenge the loss with a 2-1 FA Cup victory over the Terriers.

Huddersfield are no strangers to the play-offs or Premier League football, having reached the top flight via this method in 2017.

After a seven-game unbeaten streak, Carlos Corberan’s side finished the season just one point ahead of Forest in the league (W6, D1). The Terriers were also undefeated in both legs of their play-off semi-final against Luton Town, drawing 1-1 on the road and winning 1-0 at home.

While Forest may be concerned about Huddersfield's play-off success, the Reds have improved their own play-off record this season, reaching the final for the first time in club history. Fans' expectations of seeing Nottingham Forest return to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years will be boosted by a first time visit to the new Wembley Stadium. 

Team news

Keinan Davis' fitness will likely be the deciding factor in any Steve Cooper changes for this game, as the Aston Villa loanee might replace Sam Surridge.

Surridge has performed admirably since taking over for Davis near the end of the season, but Keinan Davis’ presence and hold-up play may be too much to leave on the bench for such an important match.

Max Lowe was injured and ineligible to play against his parent club Sheffield United in the semi-finals, but it's uncertain whether the 25-year-old will be fit enough to play at Wembley. Nonetheless, even if Lowe is healthy, Steve Cooper is unlikely to make such a lineup change for a game of this magnitude.

Lewis Grabban is still out with an injury and is unlikely to be included in the matchday squad. 

Ryan Schofield, Alex Vallejo, and Matty Pearson have all been ruled out of the final by Carlos Coberan. 

After missing the semi-final second leg win against Luton Town due to a knock, Oliver Turton is expected to return to the squad for the trip to Wembley.

Danny Ward was injured and had to be substituted during the second leg of the semi-final, but he is anticipated to start up front, leaving Jordan Rhodes on the bench. 

Predicted lineups

Nottingham Forest: Samba; Worrall, Cook, McKenna; Spence, Yates, Garner, Colback; Zinckernagel; Johnson, Davis

Huddersfield: Nicholls; Lees, Hogg, Colwill; Pipa, Russell, O’Brien, Toffolo; Sinani, Ward, Thomas

Ones to watch

Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson became the first Nottingham Forest player to score in both legs of a play-off semi-final since his father David Johnson in 2003 during the semi-finals. 

In all competitions this season, the 21-year-old has 19 goals and ten assists. Only three Nottingham Forest players have scored more than 18 goals in a season this century.

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Harry Toffolo

Toffolo is in excellent form for this matchup. In his last nine outings, the wing-back has been involved in six direct goals, and he will pose a serious threat to Nottingham Forest

During this Championship season, the 26-year-old has six goals and seven assists and has been an important player for Huddersfield all season.

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Previous meetings

The last time these two teams met was in early March, when Nottingham Forest won 2-1 to advance to the FA Cup quarter-finals against Liverpool.

Huddersfield took the lead within 15 minutes thanks to a Tom Lees header, but goals from Sam Surridge and Ryan Yates turned the tie around before halftime.

The Terriers were knocked out of the FA Cup by Forest, who were able to see the game out in the second half. 

When the two teams first met in the league this season, Forest won 2-0 at the John Smith's Stadium, while the Terriers beat them 1-0 at home after Christmas.

How to watch

This match is on Sunday, May 29, and kicks off at 16:30 BST. Coverage of the game will be available from 15:30 BST on Sky Sports Football and 16:00 BST on Sky Sports Main Event. 

What the managers have said

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper spoke to Sky Sports ahead of this fixture, explaining how important this final is to his club and the kind of experience he brings to the table.

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He said: “Regardless of what happens on the weekend - and we're going there to win, we're going there to play well, we're going there with big motivation - this football club is something different.

"It is something special. I think this football club is built on successful eras - and not just the trophies and the memories, but the values and the principles of Nottingham Forest. I was very aware of it anyway before I came in because I'm a bit of a football nerd, if you like, and I've watched all of the documentaries on the success and the Brian Clough documentaries etc.

"We're always going to stand on their shoulders - and we want to, I want to - but we want to stand on them proud, saying 'This is who we are', to try and create a positive next chapter.

"I personally have been involved in some big games with Swansea [as well as] World Cup finals and European Championship finals [with England youth teams]. You have to draw back and ask the players and staff to draw back on their experiences as well and ask what went well, what could we have done better and then try and build it into what we are doing here now, how we are as a group and try and be the best version of us at Wembley.

"I don't think there's a secret sauce or a complete science to taking experience and ensuring it works; I think it's just trying to go off your gut feeling and sticking to the plan of what you believe in and seeing where it takes you.

"What I really want them to do is really hone in on what it has taken to get us to this place and just try and repeat and try not to get too caught up in the magnitude of the game, the event that Wembley gives you, the amount of people that are there.

"It's hard, I guess. When it comes to it, if we want to succeed, we have to hone in on what we are in control of and that's our performance."

Ahead of this play-off final, Huddersfield boss Carlos Corberan spoke to his local media about his how his team are looking forward to the occasion and his first time experiencing Wembley, particularly as a head coach.

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He said: "I see the team looking forward to play the game, and with a good level of concentration knowing the important thing is the performance on the day.

"We need every player to be motivated, and the experience of playing in the play-off semi-finals and playing different rounds of the cup gives us a bit of experience, but we know a final will be completely different.

"As soon as the referee blows the whistle we are playing a football game and I think they will just be focused on the game. I believe a lot in our squad.

"It's my first time going to Wembley. I'm looking forward to going there and getting onto the bench. It's even more special to me that I'm going as a Head Coach.

"These types of games have two parts - the special part of the game and the game part. I've been so focused on the game part. 

"I can't tell you how I'll feel on the day because I've not been to Wembley before, but I have been in a lot of big games before."

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