Preview: Brentford vs. Nottingham Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

Promotion-chasing Brentford play host to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon sitting five points adrift of second-placed Watford.

While the Bees are looking to earn a spot in the Premier League, Forest are still attempting to avoid relegation from the Championship after going five matches without a win.

Match preview

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Thomas Frank claimed on Tuesday night that Brentford had produced one of their best 45 minutes of football in opening up a two-goal advantage over Derby County.

However, the Rams responded with an improved showing of their own, earning a deserved share of the spoils and delivering a blow to Brentford's promotion bid.

While the London outfit will move to within two points of Watford if they win their game in hand, they are struggling to build any momentum after two months of inconsistent displays.

Frank will be relieved that he can rely on the firepower of top goalscorer Ivan Toney, who took his tally for the season to 27 strikes at Pride Park.

Nevertheless, Brentford now feel like outsiders for the top two, pushing Frank to demand extra from a group of players who still have time to get back on track.

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Chris Hughton will hope that the same applies to his Forest squad after they failed to build on their flurry of points after the turn of the year.

A run of 20 points from 10 matches has been followed by two points from five fixtures, a period which has included several meetings against teams with promotion ambitions.

Hughton will take that into consideration when assessing the form of his players but failing to win since February 23 has left the East Midlands side still having concerns about relegation.

On the positive side, Forest have one of the more favourable run-ins of the teams around them, a factor which should lift the pressure ahead of their trip to the capital.

Team News

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Ethan Pinnock could be recalled to the Brentford XI in place of Pontus Jansson, who came through 90 minutes on his return from ankle surgery in midweek.

Saman Ghoddos and Tariqe Fosu-Henry are also in contention with Frank expected to introduced some fresh legs for this contest.

Hughton is expected to take a similar approach with Alex Mighten and Lyle Taylor in line to start this fixture.

Yuri Ribeiro and Filip Krovinovic could be restored to the team in place of Tyler Blackett and Cafu respectively.

Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Dalsgaard, Pinnock, Reid, Bech Sorensen; Jensen, Janelt, Ghoddos; Mbeumo, Toney, Fosu-Henry

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Smith; Christie, Figueredo, McKenna, Ribeiro; Garner, Yates; Ameobi, Krovinovic, Mighten; Taylor

We say: Brentford 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Brentford's recent inconsistency means that the outcome of this contest is not a foregone conclusion. However, with Forest having encountered a number of successive fixtures against the top sides, we feel that fatigue may begin to set in here, allowing the Bees to claim a narrow win.