Bristol City v Nottingham Forest Preview

Posted on | April 3, 2010 | No Comments

Out of these two sides, it was supposed to be Bristol City who were competing for the playoffs. The Ashton Gate outfit have been in or around the top six ever since they entered the division but following a miserable season, they now sit in 13^th. Nottingham Forest on the other hand have enjoyed a fantastic campaign and it looks as though summer investment has well and truly paid off, with the club sat in 3^rd and still with a small chance of automatic promotion.

Following West Brom’s convincing victory over Leicester on Friday night, it now looks as though Nottingham Forest’s dream of automatic promotion could be coming to an end. While it’s still possible, twelve points is a huge margin to quash with just six games remaining. However, even if they fail to go up through the top two, the fact they are anywhere near the top places is a huge achievement in itself. They were battling relegation last season and while they have spent huge amounts of money, it’s still been an unbelievable transformation. Part of the reason for their failure to cement themselves in the top two is undoubtedly their away form. They looked to pose a real threat back in January when they beat fellow challengers West Brom at the Hawthorns, but ever since then it’s gone downhill and they have lost their last seven matches away from the City Ground.

Bristol City fans can’t wait for the season to finish after a campaign of massive underachievement. The Robins invested heavily during the summer but things just haven’t clicked and following a poor run of results, the club and Gary Johnson parted company a few weeks ago. There has still been no permanent appointment to replace Johnson but considering the club’s position, don’t be surprised if this takes a while. As it stands, the Robins are sat in 13^th position and with fifty two points to their name already, it looks as though they’ll have to settle for a boring mid-table position.

As for team news, it’s all good for the home side who will welcome back a host of players. Lewin Nyatanga, Marvin Elliott and Bradley Orr will all come into contention while Danny Haynes has also recovered following injury. It’s not quite as rosy for Forest who will assess the fitness of Kelvin Wilson and Nathan Tyson at the last minute. However, George Boyd could return after missing Forest’s last game.

Both of these sides haven’t drawn a game in 2010 and we don’t expect that to change in this one. Bristol City are on something of a good run since Gary Johnson departed and considering Forest’s dismal away form, we’re predicting a home win – 1-0 City.

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1. Bristol City v Nottingham Forest Preview
2. Nottingham Forest v Bristol City Preview
3. Nottingham Forest v Bristol City Preview
4. Nottingham Forest v Manchester City Preview
5. Nottingham Forest v Sheffield Wednesday Preview

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