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

Since this article was published, this game has been postponed. A new date for the game will be confirmed in due course.

Relegation-threatened Barnsley travel to The City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest on Monday afternoon in the pair's first football action of 2022.

The visitors are above only the troubled Derby County and are on a long winless run, but the hosts themselves have lost two on the bounce.

Match preview

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After a good spell featuring three consecutive wins and an unbeaten run of nine games, the wheels have somewhat fallen off Forest's promotion charge during the Christmas period.

A 2-0 away loss to Middlesbrough on Boxing Day was followed by a damaging defeat at home to Huddersfield Town four days later, with a Duane Holmes goal on the half-hour mark proving to be enough to claim all three points.

Those results have seen the Reds slip away from the playoff spots, now five points behind sixth-placed Huddersfield and with Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City in the two spots above them having two games in hand.

Many of the sides below have also played at least two fewer matches and if they were all to win their games in hand, Steve Cooper's side would in fact drop all the way to 15th place.

That is, of course, a big if, but the Forest head coach will want to ensure his side return to winning ways on Monday nonetheless.

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They stand an excellent chance of doing so considering they will be welcoming arguably the division's worst side this season to The City Ground.

Barnsley may be 23rd in the table but they are only four points above a Derby side who have now been deducted a total of 21 points and are also five points off Peterborough United in 22nd.

There are a further two points to safety and, just like their hosts, the Tykes have played more games than all their nearest challengers.

Their biggest deficiency is plain to see, having scored just 16 goals in 24 games, with just four coming during their current winless run of eight games.

Recently-appointed head coach Poya Asbaghi will feel that some progress has been made with three draws in their last five, but they will have to start claiming three points somewhere soon or they will find themselves adrift at the bottom.

Team News

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Forest centre-back Ryan Yates is set to return after missing the game against Huddersfield through illness, joining Scott McKenna and Joe Worrall in a back three.

Cooper was forced to switch to four at the back last time out due to defensive absences but will surely revert to his favoured 3-4-3 system given the opportunity, especially considering the poor result in the previous game.

Max Lowe and Tobias Figueiredo are also closing in on a return but this game looks to have come too soon for them both.

Barnsley will still be without striker Cauley Woodrow, who will be out with a knee injury until February, meaning Aaron Leya Iseka will continue to lead the line.

Michal Helik suffered an injury during the defeat to Blackburn and will likely be replaced in central defence by Jasper Moon.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Samba; Worrall, Yates, McKenna; Spence, Garner, Cafu, Colback; Zinckernagel, Grabban, Johnson

Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Collins; Brittain, Andersen, Moon, Kitching; Gomes, Benson; Adeboyejo, Styles, Morris; Iseka

We say: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Barnsley

With the return of Yates in defence and a point to prove at the other end of the pitch - after failing to score from 23 attempts against Huddersfield - we are backing the hosts to return to winning ways on Monday and to further deepen Barnsley's relegation troubles.

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