Chris Hughton's Nottingham Forest will be looking to maintain their 100% record in 2021 when Neil Warnock and his Middlesbrough side visit the City Ground on Wednesday night.
Forest come into this game on the back of a solid 3-1 home win against Millwall, extending their unbeaten run to seven games in all competitions.
Warnock's men will be looking to move within a point of the top six. Boro will be looking to make amends after a poor performance on Saturday saw them fall to a 1-0 defeat to Aitor Karanka's Birmingham City.
Team news
Luke Freeman could feature on the bench for the Reds since mid-November after returning from a hernia problem.
Jack Colback and Fouad Bachirou remain sidelined for Forest with the pair set to remain out for a number of weeks.
Middlesbrough will be without Marcus Browne after the 23-year-old midfielder was stretchered off with a serious knee injury against Brentford in the FA Cup. Ashley Fletcher looks set to miss out once again with a hamstring problem, while Grant Hall is still out with a long-term thigh injury.
Previous meetings
The two sides last met in late October at the Riverside, where Warnock's side ran out 1-0 winners after an 81st-minute winner from winger Marvin Johnson. In the last five meetings between the sides at the City Ground, Forest have been victorious on three occasions, drawing one and losing the other. The previous game on Trentside was in December 2019 with Ryan Yates and Paddy McNair scoring in a 1-1 draw.
Last time out:
Predicted lineups
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1):
Samba; Christie, Worrall, McKenna, Ribeiro, Yates, Sow, Ameobi, Cafu, Mighten, Grabban.
Middlesbrough (4-3-3):
Bettinelli; Dijksteel, Fry, McNair, Bola, Howson, Saville, Wing, Watmore, Akpom, Tavernier.
Ones to watch
Alex Mighten - Nottingham Forest
Alex Mighten has had a rapid rise this season. After turning 18 in just April, the Reds academy graduate has made 11 appearances this season and his pace and athleticism have brought fresh life into the Forest forward line. The youngster has contributed a goal and an assist both of which came against Millwall.
Duncan Watmore - Middlesbrough
After a nightmare period of injuries, Duncan Watmore is starting to fulfil his potential. The 26-year-old wide man only joined Boro in early November but has contributed five goals in just nine games. His 25-minute cameo against Birmingham on Saturday showcased his talent and the former Sunderland man will be pushing to start against Forest.
How to watch
Due to the current national lockdown, no fans will be in attendance at the City Ground. This means the only way to watch the game is by streaming the match from the club's websites.
Forest fans can watch the game by purchasing an iFollow match pass, found on Nottingham Forest's website for just £10.
Boro fans can purchase a match pass to watch the game live which can be found in the MFCLive section of the website.
The game kicks off at 19:00 BST on Wednesday 20 January 2021.