Preview: Nottingham Forest vs Burnley - prediction, team news, lineups

Nottingham Forest will look to continue their push for Premier League survival when they host Burnley at the City Ground on Sunday.

The Clarets head into the match on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Brighton, while Forest will be aiming to build momentum by securing back-to-back league victories.

Match preview

Survival remains the primary objective for Nottingham Forest in what has been a turbulent campaign, marked by four managerial changes, although their European ambitions are still surprisingly alive.

Since Vitor Pereira’s arrival, Forest have enjoyed a remarkable upturn in form, going unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions, including the high of reaching the Europa League semi-finals.

A first-half strike from Morgan Gibbs-White proved decisive against Porto at the City Ground, sealing progression after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Attention now returns to the league, where Forest could hardly have asked for a more favourable fixture, having remained unbeaten in their last three meetings with Burnley.

They are also unbeaten in their last four Premier League games, including an emphatic 3-0 victory over Tottenham, which has opened up a three-point cushion over Spurs in the relegation battle and provided valuable breathing space.

Any hope of breaking Burnley’s cycle of promotion and relegation appears to be fading after another underwhelming campaign in the top flight.

The Clarets sit 19th in the table with just 20 points from 32 matches, continuing a disappointing trend that has seen them lose 44 of their last 70 Premier League games across two seasons.

Scott Parker’s side have struggled defensively, conceding 63 goals - the worst record in the division - and have also endured the second-poorest away form, collecting just nine points on the road.

Their form has been equally concerning, with only one league win since the first week of November, leaving them on a seven-match winless run.

Burnley are also without a victory in their last 10 away games, and that run could extend further given they have won just two of their last 21 visits to face Forest.

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

L L D D W D

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

D W W D D W

Burnley Premier League form:

D L L D L L

Burnley form (all competitions):

D L L D L L

Team News

The Tricky Trees are sweating over the fitness of Murillo, Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi, all of whom hobbled off during the win over Porto. Hudson-Odoi is unlikely to feature due to a muscle injury, but the other two are expected to be available.

John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly remain long-term absentees with knee injuries, while Elliot Anderson could be allowed extended leave following the passing of his mother.

Burnley are also dealing with several absences, with Josh Laurent serving a three-match suspension after his red card against Fulham last month.

Connor Roberts and Hannibal Mejbri are ruled out through injury, although Zeki Amdouni has returned to training after recovering from a knee problem.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Jesus

Burnley possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Hartman, Humphreys, Esteve Walker; Ugochukwu, Ward-Prowse, Edwards; Anthony, Foster; Flemming

We say: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Burnley

Scoring goals has been a persistent issue for Forest, with just 14 strikes in 16 home matches, and they have also failed to keep a clean sheet against the Clarets in their last 11 meetings.

Burnley, meanwhile, need nothing short of a miracle to preserve their top-flight status, and while they may offer some resistance, another away defeat appears highly likely.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.