Preview: Norwich City vs. Nottingham Forest

Norwich City will look to put a frustrating week behind them when they host Nottingham Forest at Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon.

Despite not suffering defeat, draws with Derby County and particularly Huddersfield Town have seen their progress stall, and Alex Neil's side have lost vital ground on their rivals for automatic promotion.

It could have been worse in midweek, but the Canaries managed to snatch a 2-2 draw against Huddersfield thanks to Jamar Loza's stoppage-time strike.

Rescuing a point when defeat looked inevitable should hand the promotion hopefuls extra confidence as they look to hold down a playoff spot and put pressure on the top two, who are currently five points better off.

Returning to winning ways could be easier said than done against a Forest side hoping to keep alive their late bid for a place in the playoffs.

A 2-0 win over Rotherham United in midweek has left Dougie Freedman's side ninth, eight points outside the top six, and the Forest boss will be fully aware that his side probably cannot afford to slip up in the final eight games of the season.

Neil could look to freshen up his side again, with Wes Hoolahan likely to be handed a recall after impressing in a goalscoring cameo from the bench against Huddersfield, but Forest should be unchanged.

Norwich City:

Recent form: WWLWDD

Possible starting lineup: Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson, Redmond, Howson, Dorrans, Johnson, Hoolahan, Hooper

Nottingham Forest:

Recent form: WWLWDW

Possible starting lineup: Darlow; Lichaj, Mancienne, Wilson, Lascelles; Lansbury, Gardner, Osborn, Burke; Antonio, Blackstock

Sports Mole says: 2-1