Preview: Nottingham Forest vs. Bolton Wanderers

Dougie Freedman will come up against his former club for the first time when Nottingham Forest welcome Bolton Wanderers to The City Ground on Saturday.

The Scottish manager was sacked by the Trotters in October having picked up just one win in the opening 10 matches of the season, leaving the club second from bottom in the Championship table.

Bolton's fortunes have vastly improved since Freedman's departure, but his arrival at Forest has also seemingly galvanized his new side and he remains unbeaten after three games.

Rarely will he have seen a match quite like last weekend's however, as his side played out an eight-goal thriller against nine-man and bottom-of-the-table Blackpool, eventually drawing 4-4 to end his 100% start.

Forest were forced to come from behind twice in the match and looked to have snatched a late winner in the 95th minute, only for David Ferguson to pop up even deeper into stoppage time and cap off one of the most remarkable games in recent memory.

While a draw was still an "alarming" result for Freedman, the main positive from his short tenure so far is that Forest have now scored 10 goals in his three games in charge, albeit with six conceded.

Chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi confirmed this week that the manager was only handed a three-month deal, but it certainly looks like being an entertaining stint in charge if the early signs are anything to go by.

Freedman won his one and only home match in charge comfortably, beating Wigan Athletic 3-0, but Forest have struggled at The City Ground in general this season, picking up more points on the road than they have in front of their own fans.

Forest will be without skipper Jack Hobbs this weekend after he was ruled out for up to four weeks with a hamstring injury, but his loss will be eased by the returns of Kelvin Wilson and Michael Mancienne.

Matty Fryatt is again expected to lead the line for the hosts after Britt Assombalonga was ruled out for the rest of the year with a serious knee injury.

For Bolton, life under Neil Lennon is proving to be a lot more enjoyable than the vast majority of their time under Freedman, but fans will be wary of the honeymoon period they also enjoyed under their previous boss.

Lennon's improvement was immediate as he dragged the Trotters away from danger, but they have won just one of their last seven matches in all competitions now and will be beginning to look tentatively over their shoulders again should that run stretch much further.

However, seven points still separate 16th-placed Bolton from the bottom three, and the end of a tricky run of fixtures - in which they have faced playoff contenders Wolverhampton Wanderers, Derby County and Watford, as well as Liverpool twice in the FA Cup - is now in sight.

They were involved in their own high-scoring dramatic affair last weekend, making it 3-3 against Watford with five minutes of normal time remaining, only for Troy Deeney to net the winner in the final minute.

The main positive from that defeat was another brace for Zach Clough, who has now scored five goals in six matches since breaking into the first team.

He will start again this weekend behind Adam le Fondre, who also found himself on the scoresheet last Saturday for his second goal in as many games.

Bolton would move to within one point of Forest with a victory, but to do that they must improve their away form. Only two teams have picked up fewer points on their travels this season, while they have conceded four goals in both of their last two away outings.

Lennon could be boosted by the returns of Matt Mills, Craig Davies and Emile Heskey, who are expected to undergo late fitness tests with a view to being back in the squad this weekend.

The match will come too soon for long-term absentee Mark Davies, although the midfielder is hopeful of returning to action next month.

Nottm Forest:

Recent form: WLLWWD

Possible starting lineup: Darlow; Lichaj, Wilson, Collins, Fox; Burke, Lansbury, Gardner, Osborn, Antonio; Fryatt

Bolton:

Form in Championship: WLDLWL Form in all competitions: LDLLWL

Possible starting lineup: Lonergan; Vela, Wheater, Dervite, Ream; Danns, Bannan, Janko, Clough, Feeney; Le Fondre

Sports Mole says: 3-1