Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 16, 2022

Forest will look to build on their impressive Carabao Cup win over Tottenham, against Patrick Vieira's in-form Palace side.

Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 16, 2022
Photo: Jon Hobley/ NuPhoto/ NuPhoto via Getty Images
zak
By Zak Wright

Nottingham Forest will hope to get a vital three points and move out the relegation zone, when they host a Crystal Palace side looking for a third straight victory, at the City Ground.

The Reds managed to snatch a point in last weekend's 2-2 draw against Brentford, when Mathias Jorgensen deflected a penalty box scramble into his own net in the 96th minute, in a game that was mostly talked about for controversies involving VAR.

Palace were involved in their own last minute celebrations, as Michael Olise won them a vital three points against West Ham at The London Stadium, when a 94th minute goal sent the away fans into raptures.

These two sides last faced each other in a pre-season friendly in 2019, when Forest won 1-0.

  • Team News

Nottingham Forest

The Reds will definitely be without Orel Mangala, who was sent off late into the Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham, after a brilliant individual performance from the Belgian.

Omar Richards (leg) has only just started training with the Forest team after his move from Bayern Munich in the summer, while Harry Toffolo and Moussa Niakhate both miss out with thigh injuries.

Disappointing  news came out last week that Giulian Biancone will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Scott Mckenna and Cheikhou Kouyate were left out of Wednesday's game as precautions, and will continue to be assessed ahead of kickoff on Saturday. 

Crystal Palace 

James McCarthur (groin) and Chris Richards (thigh) are both ruled out of the game.

Odsonne Edouard has missed the last two games and remains a doubt for this weekend's game.

  • Likely Lineups

Nottingham Forest: Henderson, Williams, Boly, Worrall, Aurier, O'Brien, Yates, Freuler, Lingard, Gibbs-White, Awoniyi.

Crystal Palace: Guaita, Mitchell, Andersen, Guehi, Clyne, Schlupp, Doucoure, Eze, Ayew, Zaha, Olise.

  • Key Players

Jesse Lingard 

It would be fair to say Jesse Lingard has had a slow start to life at Nottingham Forest. 

His goal against Spurs in midweek was his first in Garibaldi red, and his celebration would certainly suggest he enjoyed it.

He also managed to grab an assist for Renan Lodi's opener, and many Forest fans will be hoping his impressive performance will kickstart a vital run of good form to help them escape the drop. 

In the few games that The Reds have come out victorious this season, he has been one of the team’s better players, and showcased the reason why he has England caps and Champions League experience.

However, it must be said that when his team have been dominated, Lingard has gone missing, and generally struggled to offer much to his team in terms of creativity.

If he and Morgan Gibbs-White can strike a partnership in the same starting eleven, Forest can hope of getting off the foot of the table, starting with a win this weekend.

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Jesse Lingard of Nottingham Forest celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 2-0 during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground, Nottingham on Wednesday 9th November 2022. (Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Eberechi Eze

Admirers of Eze from his time at QPR in the Championship will remember him as a number ten full of tricks and a keen eye for a goal.

Since his return from a year-long injury at the end of last season, Patrick Vieira has utilised Eze in a deeper role, using his excellent dribbling ability to progress the ball up the pitch, very rarely giving up posession.

His keen eye for a through ball could unravel the Forest defence, who were caught out twice in behind by Brentford which led to both of The Bees' goals.

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: <strong><a  data-cke-saved-href='https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2022/10/01/premier-league/1124851-crystal-palace-1-2-chelsea-gallagher-breaks-eagles-hearts-late-on.html' href='https://www.vavel.com/en/football/2022/10/01/premier-league/1124851-crystal-palace-1-2-chelsea-gallagher-breaks-eagles-hearts-late-on.html'>Eberechi Eze</a></strong> of Crystal Palace control ball during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at London Stadium on November 6, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace control ball during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Crystal Palace at London Stadium on November 6, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
  • Match Facts

Where is the match being played? 

The City Ground is the host venue for the match.

What time is the match?

Kick off is set for 3pm BST.

How can I watch the match?

The game will not be broadcast live in the UK due to the 3pm Blackout Laws.

Sky Sports will provide free highlights of the match after its conclusion.