Match Preview
Nottingham Forest
v
Fulham
Championship Match Day 19 1516 at City Ground
Saturday 5th December 2015 KO: 15:00
Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire)
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Fulham have still not appointed a successor to Kit Symons, but the Cottagers could climb into the top half of the Championship if results go their way over the weekend.
Nottingham Forest will be looking to bounce back from a defeat when they host Fulham at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Another week of rumours and speculation has passed, but Fulham appear to be no closer to finding a replacement for Symons, who was relieved of his duties on November 8.
It has been another frustrating couple of weeks for the team leading the search for a new manager after Steve Clarke and Gary Rowett both resisted the temptation to leave Reading and Birmingham City, respectively.
Mark Warburton emerged as the latest target for the Cottagers in recent days, but with the Rangers boss claiming that he is keen to stay in Scotland, Fulham are unlikely to have a new manager in place before they arrive at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Peter Grant will be given the responsibility of leading the team once again and he will be hopeful of delivering a first win as caretaker boss after draws with MK Dons and Preston in the last two games.
He has made it clear in press conferences that the current situation is affecting the players, but Ross McCormack stepped up in typical fashion to secure a point with an equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Preston.
Seven points currently separate Fulham from the playoff spots and the relegation zone, and hopes of a possible promotion push will quickly fade unless consistency is discovered in the near future.
Heading into the weekend without a win in their last four games, the pressure is on Grant to produce a response from the squad as they aim to stay in touch with the top six before a new manager arrives.
Relief arrived for Forest last weekend as they picked up just their second win in 11 games by beating Reading 3-1 thanks to a brace from Nelson Oliveira.
It was proof of the quality within Dougie Freedman's squad as they bounced back from falling behind early on, but Forest fans will be forgiven for not getting too excited about the victory.
The real challenge for Forest is to find the consistency required to climb up the table over the winter, and confidence should have been restored by their impressive display against the Royals.
Freedman's biggest concern will have been seeing his side play well on so many occasions without securing wins, but the performance of Oliveira last weekend comes as a huge boost to a team that has struggled in front of goal.
Only Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, MK Dons and Charlton Athletic have scored less than Forest's tally of 16 goals from 18 league games, meaning that the emergence of Oliveira as a regular scoring threat could be key.
Many believe that a change of luck against Reading was the turning point, but failure to build on the win could see any momentum halted by Fulham.
N Forest
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Supporters were treated to thrillers between these two sides last season as Forest claimed a 5-3 victory at the City Ground, before Fulham hit back with a 3-2 win in the reverse fixture in January.
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Forest head into this weekend's meeting having beaten Fulham in just one of their seven meetings since the 1999/2000 campaign.
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Forest have only lost once in 10 home league meetings with the Cottagers (W6 D3 L1).
Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last four Championship games at the City Ground (W2 D2), scoring exactly once on three occasions.
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Forest have gained 10 points from losing positions so far in the league this season - a Championship high..
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Nottm Forest have won 40%, drawn 15% and lost 45% of their last 20 home games.
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In their last 20 home matches, Nottm Forest have scored 1.3 goals per game and conceded 1.1 goals per game on average.
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Nottm Forest have scored first in 25% of their last 20 home games.
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Ross McCormack netted five goals of the six goals Fulham scored against Forest last season.
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McCormack has scored seven goals in 11 league appearances against Nottingham Forest, and has only scored more against Charlton (8)..
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Fulham's last six Championship fixtures have seen 26 goals (4.3 goals per game) - with Fulham scoring half of these.
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Fulham have conceded more goals in the last 15 minutes of Championship football in this campaign than any other team (10).
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Fulham have won 20%, drawn 35% and lost 45% of their last 20 away games.
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In their last 20 away matches, Fulham have scored 1.2 goals per game and conceded 1.5 goals per game on average.
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Fulham last kept a clean sheet away from home 4 games ago.