Nottingham Forest will be looking to make amends after the humiliating 5-1 defeat against Swansea City in the FA Cup last Saturday.
Chris Hughton and his side face a tough challenge as they welcome Barnsley to the City Ground this weekend.
The Tykes come into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw against Cardiff City in what was Mick McCarthy's first game in charge of the Bluebirds.
Valerien Ismael will be disappointed his side did not claim all three points. Cauley Woodrow and Mads Andersen put his side 2-0 up before throwing away a two-goal lead.
Forest currently sit in 20th place, with Barnsley sat in a very respectable 12th. The three points are vital for both teams for different reasons. The Reds are desperate for all three points to distance themselves from the drop zone meanwhile, a victory for Ismael's side would see them close the gap on the Championship play-off places.
Team news
Filip Krovinovic will be looking to make his debut for the Reds after joining on loan from Benfica. Forest will be without midfield trio Jack Colback, Ryan Yates and Harry Arter as they all remained sidelined through injury.
Hughton's side will also be without left-back Yuri Ribeiro after his red card against Middlesbrough in the last league outing.
Ismael's side are set to be without defensive trio Aapo Halme, Liam Kitching and Ben Williams as they continue to struggle with injury.
Other than that there are no injury worries and Ismael has a fully fit squad at his disposal.
Predicted lineups
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1):
Samba; Christie, Worrall, McKenna, Bong, Cafu, Sow, Ameobi Krovinovic, Mighten, Grabban.
Barnsley (3-4-3):
Walton; Andersen, Helik, Sollbauer, Brittain, Kane, Mowatt, Styles, Frieser, Woodrow, Chaplin.
Ones to watch
Sammy Ameobi - Nottingham Forest
The 28-year-old is often the scapegoat when things go wrong at Forest. He is often criticised for his lack of effort and poor performances, however, as of late he has been the man that the Reds turn to in the attacking third to create some magic. In the Reds last victory, the winger scored two incredible strikes from 25 yards out helping Hughton and his side secure a fine 3-1 win over Millwall. The former England Under-21 international will be looking to add to his tally of three goals on Saturday and lead Forest to a pivotal three points.
Cauley Woodrow - Barnsley
The English striker has improved year on year for Barnsley. Woodrow initially joined the Tykes on loan from Fulham back in 2018 and made his move to Oakwell permanent in 2019. Since then, the 26-year-old has excelled averaging a goal nearly every other game. His all-round forward play is what makes the Luton Town academy product so impressive. This season alone he has scored nine and assisted a further five in just 22 league appearances which is phenomenal for a mid-table Championship side.
Previous meetings
The two sides last met in November 2020 at Oakwell, with the home side securing a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Callum Styles and Cauley Woodrow. Over the last five meetings, Forest have two wins, but Barnsley have beaten the Reds on the last three occasions with Forest failing to score a single goal. However, the Reds did win 1-0 in the last meeting at the City Ground thanks to a goal from Ben Watson.
Last time out...
How to watch
Due to the current national lockdown, no fans will be in attendance at the City Ground. This means the game is available on iFollow through Forest and Barnsley's respective club websites, with passes being priced at £10.
The game kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday 30 January 2021.