Fulham will be looking to continue their recent good run of form in the Championship as they take on Nottingham Forest at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
Slaviša Jokanović's side claimed another three points last weekend as they scored twice late on to beat Barnsley 3-1 at Oakwell in the Championship. It was a real statement of intent from the Cottagers and they will be looking to back this up with another positive result on Saturday afternoon.
As for Forest, they have suffered two disappointing defeats as they were defeated 2-1 by Hull City in the FA Cup fourth round last weekend at the KCOM Stadium before they lost 3-0 at home to Preston North End on Tuesday night in the Championship. They will be looking to respond in this match.
How they've fared so far
After reaching the play-offs last season playing some superb football, many expected Fulham to be challenging for automatic promotion this season. However, Jokanović's side got off to a relatively slow start as they struggled to find any consistency in regards to their results.
Despite this, their form has picked up considerably in recent weeks as they began to turn draws into wins. This has seen them win four consecutive matches in the Championship and surge into the play-off places. They are currently one of the form teams in the division and it would not be a surprise to see them yet close the gap between themselves and the automatic promotion places.
Fulham have had a very talented squad for a significant amount of time with the likes of Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney at their disposal. However, their squad was boosted even further on Deadline Day. Right-back Cyrus Christie arrived at Craven Cottage from Championship rivals Middlesbrough whilst striker Alexander Mitrovic also joined the club from Premier League side Newcastle United. These are two quality additions who have further enhanced their promotion credentials.
As for Forest, they were also very busy on Deadline Day as manager Aitor Karanka made significant changes to his squad following the dismal performance against Preston the night before. The likes of Matt Mills, Mustapha Carayol, Tyler Walker, Stephen Henderson, Zach Clough, Jamie Ward and Armand Traore all left the club in a mass clear-out.
However, this paved the way for numerous new additions to arrive at the City Ground with Adlène Guédioura, Lee Tomlin, Jack Colback, Joe Lolley, Ashkan Dejagah and Costel Pantilimon all joining the Reds.
It is unlikely that many of these new additions will feature against Fulham due to lack of match fitness and the fact that Karanka likes players to integrate into the team before he selects them in his starting line-up. Despite this, these additions have clearly strengthened Forest's squad and it would not be a surprise to see them involved in some way.
Last time they met
Fulham last played Forest in a 3-1 win in the Championship at The City Ground in September. Aboubakar Kamara gave the away side the lead before Daryl Murphy got Forest back on level terms. However, the Whites turned on the style in the second-half and goals from Stefan Johansen and Neeskens Kebano sealed all three points.
Team news
Fulham will be unable to call upon influential midfielder Cairney or forward Floyd Ayite for this match as they both continue to struggle with knee and calf injuries respectively. It will be interesting to see whether Christie or Mitrovic play any part in this match.
As for Forest, it will be interesting to see how many of the seven new faces will feature in the matchday squad. Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock commented that Tomlin is currently short of fitness meaning that it is highly unlikely that he will be involved. Murphy could return to the squad for this game which would be a huge boost for Forest and their attacking options.