Nottingham Forest are looking to continue their push for Premier League survival as they prepare to face Sunderland. Forest are currently enjoying their best run of form this season, remaining unbeaten in their last five league matches, with two wins and three draws.
Their recent form has seen them win two of their last three Premier League games. They are aiming for consecutive wins for the first time since November.
Forest’s Fight to Avoid Relegation
The battle to avoid the final relegation place is intensifying. The contenders include Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds.
Opta gives Forest a 4.27% chance of going down thanks to their five-point cushion on Tottenham, who sit in 18th. According to BBC Radio Nottingham’s Colin Fray, Leeds are likely safe with 40 points.
Fray believes Forest need four more points to secure their Premier League status. He added that Forest are performing and showing resilience under pressure.
“If they can go to Sunderland and get three points then psychologically it’s huge,” Fray stated. “They have had very good home form and full credit to what they have done this season. The crowd will be up for it and it will be a difficult game for Forest.”
Pereira’s Perspective on Forest’s Improved Form
Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira spoke about his team’s improved consistency. “The players are more consistent mentally. Tactically we have more time to work. They know what we want better than before.”
Pereira also discussed the possibility of playing Jesus and Wood together up front. “With both we can have chances to score more goals, and we need to score goals. They are two players that work a lot defensively, which means I can play with both.”
He added, “I realise that when we play just one striker sometimes we are missing the second striker in the box. We are in a moment that we must win games and I want to give them the confidence. They understand the message that we want to win and come here with the intention to compete for three points.”
Sunderland’s Challenge and Forest’s Mindset
Pereira is wary of the challenge Sunderland pose. “They are a very strong team, very competitive, with quality, we know that today for us it’s a Champions League game. We need to play with this mentality.”
Despite acknowledging Sunderland’s strength, Pereira is focused on securing a win. He wants his team to approach the game with a winning mentality.
- Forest are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches.
- They have won two of their last three Premier League games.
- Forest are aiming for consecutive wins for the first time since November.
While one observer believes Sunderland will win, they also predict Forest will ultimately avoid relegation. The same observer anticipates that Spurs will go down, also noting that West Ham and Spurs have both got a tough set of fixtures to end the season.