Nottingham Forest are being tipped to fall to a fifth straight Premier League defeat when top-flight domestic football returns this weekend with an East Midlands derby against Leicester City.
The Reds are winless since the middle of August and entered the international break on the back of successive 3-2 home defeats against fellow newly-promoted sides Bournemouth and Fulham at the City Ground. They followed previous defeats at the end of last month against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City that saw Steve Cooper 's side ship eight unanswered goals within the space of less than a week.
Up next are the only side currently below them in the Premier League table, and the division's one remaining winless side, Leicester. This favourable opposition, on paper, is not predicted to see a change in Forest's fortunes, though, according to the pundits.
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Paul Merson has been the most bullish, tipping a 3-0 home win to take place at the King Power Stadium. "What a game this is! It's another big Premier League derby," the former Arsenal player told Sportskeeda. "These two teams haven't played against each other in the top flight in well over 20 years. Leicester are all over the place defensively, but they're still brilliant going forward.
Merson added: "Leicester have scored goals consistently in the Premier League. Even if both teams go gung-ho, I don't see how Nottingham Forest are going to outscore Brendan Rodgers' side. I don't see anything but a Leicester win here."
Nottingham-born Chris Sutton is more unsure about what the outcome will be, predicting a tighter 2-1 win for Leicester. "These are the bottom two teams and really anything could happen here. It's hard to back either side to win it, because we know about their flaws," he told the BBC before adding: "I do think Forest will score here - Leicester just can't keep a clean sheet - but I think the Foxes will edge it, and get a much-needed win."
What is your prediction for Monday night? Have your say in the comments...
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