Nottingham Forest v AFC Bournemouth preview: How to watch, kick-off time, predicted lineups and ones to watch

Nottingham Forest welcome AFC Bournemouth to the City Ground on Saturday in the Sky Bet Championship, kick-off 12:30 pm.

Nottingham Forest v AFC Bournemouth preview: How to watch, kick-off time, predicted lineups and ones to watch
 Lyle Taylor of Nottingham Forest gives chase to Steve Cook of Bournemouth during the Sky Bet Championship match between AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest at Vitality Stadium on November 24, 2020 in Bournemouth, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)

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By Ethan Lamb

Jonathan Woodgate will be looking to make it three wins in a row as AFC Bournemouth caretaker manager when his side travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest.

The Cherries defeated relegation-threatened Birmingham City 3-2 at the Vitality Stadium last Saturday and backed up the result by causing an FA Cup upset where they beat Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor in midweek. 

Meanwhile, Chris Hughton and his side will also be looking to make it three wins in a row after two vital wins against relegation rivals Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers. 

The Reds come into the game sat in 18th position, whilst the visitors sit just inside the Championship play-off places in sixth position. 

Team news 

Forest face a late wait to see if Lewis Grabban and Sammy Ameobi will be for to take part in Saturday's fixture. The pair sat out the win against Wycombe after both picking injuries in the game against Coventry.

The Reds will definitely be without centre back Scott McKenna, as the Scotsman is sidelined for "weeks" with an ongoing ankle problem. McKenna will be joined on the sidelines by Ryan Yates with the midfielder still nursing a calf problem.

Woodgate has pretty much a full-strength side to pick from after his side's recent success in his past two games. 

The only absentee for the Cherries is striker Dominic Solanke. The former Chelsea and Liverpool man has missed Woodgate's two games in charge and will also miss the weekend's game against Forest. 

Both managers are expected to field similar lineups from their last league outings, with both sides claiming victories in their respective matches. 

Predicted lineups 

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): 

Samba; Christie, Worrall, Figueiredo, Bong, Garner, Cafu, Knockaert, Krovinovic, Freeman, Murray.

AFC Bournemouth (4-3-3): 

Begovic; Smith, Carter-Vickers, S.Cook, Kelly, L.Cook, Lerma Wilshere, Brooks, Long, Danjuma. 

Ones to watch

Glenn Murray - Nottingham Forest

37-year-old Glenn Murray joined Forest with many Reds fans unhappy with the signing. However, his full debut showcased exactly what the former Brighton and Hove Albion man is capable of in the second tier.

His double against bottom side Wycombe took many fans by surprise, but his all-round centre forward play also impressed the Forest faithful. He held up the ball well and drew many fouls in dangerous positions for the Reds whilst also showing great composure when needed. Against Steve Cook, it will be interesting to see who will come out on top in the battle between two very experienced players. 

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Jack Wilshere - AFC Bournemouth

One classed as the best young prospect in the world, Jack Wilshere is now trying to get his career back on track after a series of long-term injuries. Now aged 29, he is looking to lead the Cherries to the Premier League once again.

Since re-joining on a free transfer at the start of the window, Wilshere has impressed under Woodgate and even scored his first goal in his second spell against Birmingham last time out. His quality on the ball is way beyond the second tier of English football and needs to be monitored by the Reds midfield. 

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Previous meetings

The two sides last met in November, with the Cherries running out 2-0 winners thanks to a double from winger Junior Stanislas. However, in the five previous league meetings, the two sides can't be separated with two wins each and a draw. In the last meeting at the City Ground came all the way back in February 2015 with the Reds beating the Cherries 2-0 thanks to goals from Henri Lansbury and Jamal Lascelles

 

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 Bournemouth's respective club websites, with passes being priced at £10. 

The game is also live on Sky Sports Main Event.

The game kicks off at 12:30 BST on Saturday 13 February 2021.