Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace: The Battle of the Midlands

The eagerly-anticipated clash between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace promises to be a thrilling encounter, with both teams desperate for points for very different reasons.
Nottingham Forest, back in the Premier League after a 23-year absence, have made a solid start to their campaign and currently sit in mid-table. However, they will be aware that they need to start picking up wins if they are to maintain their top-flight status.
Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are in a relegation battle and will be desperate for a result in this game. The Eagles have only won one of their last five games and are in danger of being dragged into the bottom three.

Team News

Nottingham Forest are without a number of key players for this game, including defender Scott McKenna and midfielder Jesse Lingard. However, they will be boosted by the return of striker Taiwo Awoniyi from injury.
Crystal Palace are also without a number of players for this game, including defender Joachim Andersen and midfielder James McArthur. However, they will be boosted by the return of winger Wilfried Zaha from suspension.

What the Managers Said

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper said: "We know that this is a big game for us and we are determined to get a result. We have a lot of quality in our squad and we believe that we can beat anyone on our day."
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira said: "We know that we are in a difficult position, but we are confident that we can turn things around. We have a good squad of players and we believe that we can stay in the Premier League."

Prediction

This is a tough game to call, but I think Nottingham Forest will edge it. They have the home advantage and they are in slightly better form than Crystal Palace. I predict a 2-1 win for Nottingham Forest.