Nottingham Forest arrive in Brentford for their first-ever top-flight away game with us on Saturday, and first visit to the Gtech with fans, fighting for their Premier League lives.
Their surprise 3-1 win over Brighton on Wednesday ended a run of 11 winless league matches and took them out of the relegation zone. They now sit in 17th, a point ahead of Leicester, two ahead of Everton and four clear of Southampton with each side having five games to play.
When Forest beat Leeds at the start of February, they were 13th in the table and six points clear of the bottom three, but that sequence of matches without a win is what has put them back in trouble.
Their away form has also been a major issue this season.
While they have the 12th best home record in the Premier League – with six wins (four of them 1-0), six draws and five defeats meaning they have taken 24 points at the City Ground – they have the division’s worst away record with one win (at Southampton), three draws and 12 defeats on their travels. They have also only scored seven away goals, with two of those coming at Anfield last Saturday, and conceded 39. They did have a cup run to distract them at least, reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, where they lost 5-0 on aggregate to eventual winners Manchester United. In the FA Cup, they bowed out 4-1 at Championship Blackpool in round three.
Much was made of Forest’s massive influx of players over the summer and January transfer windows. So ...