Derby v Nottingham Forest Preview
Posted on | October 31, 2008 | No Comments
Following Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday, they’ll be flying into this local derby full of confidence and hopeful of an upset against their neighbors. However, by no means will it be easy, with home side Derby now into the top ten after several weeks of fantastic form themselves.
Ever since the start of October, Paul Jewell has been living the high life at Pride Park. All looked lost following a defeat to Barnsley in September yet while most quarters were tipping him to get the push, he was the one who pushed on and has made his Derby side a big force in the division. They’ve lost only once in the last ten and following their recent victory at Norwich, confidence must be exceptionally high amongst the Rams and they’ll be attempting to overcome the next step of getting into the play offs. As it stands they’re just two points away and considering the dismal start they had to the season, that’s nothing short of miraculous.
As for Forest, pressure was lifted from Colin Calderwood midweek following his side’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. That victory was their first since August although with results going against them, it still means that they’re six points adrift from safety. Looking at their next couple of fixtures, that result was absolutely essential as the City Ground side now face Derby, followed by Birmingham. With both of these teams holding promotion aspirations, it was crucial for Calderwood’s men to hold on and grab all the points at Selhurst Park on Tuesday. Following that win, there’s no doubt that if Calderwood could mastermind a victory over fierce rivals Derby, the fans may start to warm to him again.
Following their recent good form, Paul Jewell isn’t likely to make changes unless they’re forced upon him. Rob Hulse and Nathan Ellington appear to be forming a formidable partnership up front and should keep their places, while centre half Martin Albrechtson is hoping build on his game after making his first appearance in a month in the Norwich match. As for Colin Calderwood, he has been boosted with the returns of Paul Anderson, Kelvin Wilson and Carl Fletcher. Anderson and Wilson have recovered from thigh and knee injuries respectively, while Fletcher was forced to miss the Crystal Palace fixture due to the terms of his loan agreement. It’s not all good news for Forest though, with Guy Moussi and Julian Bennett both out injured.
It’s always hard to predict local derby games, especially when Forest’s season could turn after that win on Tuesday. However, Derby have been fantastic over the past couple of months and under Paul Jewell, they’re managed by a guy who has real passion and will demand nothing less than 100% in a local fixture. With that, we’ll predict the home win – 2-0 Rams.
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