Nottm Forest Vs Fulham: Predicted Lineup, Pereira on Confidence and Ndoye Update
nottm forest vs fulham sees Nottingham Forest return to the City Ground aiming to end a winless run and address acute finishing problems, with kick-off scheduled for 10: 00 am ET on Sunday. The match arrives after Forest’s Europa League defeat and a run of league results that leaves them precariously placed in the closing stages of the season.
Nottm Forest Vs Fulham: Predicted Lineup And Team News
Forest are preparing for the final phase of the campaign with a squad hampered by several long-term knee injuries. Chris Wood, Willy Boly, John Victor and Nicolò Savona are ruled out, the latter two sidelined for the remainder of the season. Those absences feed into a predicted 3-4-2-1 formation with Matz Sels in goal and a back three of Morato, Nikola Milenković and Murillo. Ola Aina and Neco Williams are projected to supply width, while Ibrahim Sangaré partners Elliot Anderson in midfield. Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolás Domínguez are expected to support Igor Jesus as the central forward.
The lineup reflects an increased reliance on Igor Jesus for goals amid worrying finishing numbers. Forest have the lowest shot conversion rate in the league at 7. 5% in one measure, and another assessment across all competitions places their conversion at 8. 6% for the season. The attacking issues are underlined by a run of six matches without a win and a status outside the relegation zone only on goal difference as the club moves into its final nine fixtures.
Pereira On Confidence And Forest’s Scoring Struggles
Vítor Pereira has stressed maintaining the team’s playing style and encouraging confidence despite the drought in front of goal. He emphasised that players should keep shooting and expressing themselves while working to convert chances. Forest created notable attacking activity in recent home matches — 88 shots, an expected goals total of 6. 44 and 126 touches in the opposition box across four matches at the City Ground — but managed just one goal from that output.
The club’s struggles showed in the Europa League first-leg loss when they registered an expected goals total of 1. 72 from 22 attempts yet still lost 1-0. Pereira said the pathway to improvement is continued work and confidence-building rather than abandoning the current approach. Midfield runner Elliot Anderson has been singled out for his contributions, leading the league for pressures received and for line-breaking passes by a midfielder in the data cited for the season.
Ndoye Fitness Update, Fulham Context And What Matters Next
Dan Ndoye missed the Europa League game and his participation against Fulham remains in doubt. Pereira indicated the decision on Ndoye will be delayed until a final assessment, leaving open the possibility of him featuring late if included. The manager will confirm availability after further checks on the squad following the midweek outing.
Fulham arrive seeking to arrest a dip of their own and to sustain their push for European qualification. Their recent results include a league defeat and an FA Cup exit, and the fitness of key attacking figures is also under review; Harry Wilson could be in contention to return for the trip to the City Ground. The fixture also carries a recent historical trend against Forest: they have lost six of their last seven Premier League meetings with Fulham.
For Forest, the immediate priorities are clear — convert created chances, make final selection decisions on marginal players like Ndoye and attempt to secure a first Premier League victory under Pereira to move away from the relegation scrap. Confirmation of the starting XI and any late fitness developments will be revealed before the 10: 00 am ET kick-off at the City Ground.
