Fulham boss Marco Silva has hailed the “fantastic” work done by Nottingham Forest counterpart Steve Cooper.
The two sides meet at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night for what promises to be an enthralling encounter. And although the hosts have already secured promotion, there is still much at stake.
Silva’s side want to clinch the title, while the Reds are bidding to join them in the Premier League. Cooper has guided Forest from bottom of the Championship table to fourth in the space of seven months.
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A top-six finish is all-but in the bag for the Reds, with just a point required to make it mathematically certain. But they are also still not out of the running for second spot.
Cooper’s men are five points below Bournemouth. Both teams have four games remaining, and will go head-to-head at the Vitality Stadium next week.
Before then, though, Forest will be aiming for a positive result in the capital. And Silva is expecting a different proposition to when Fulham triumphed 4-0 at the City Ground in October.
"Steve Cooper is doing fantastic, they're fighting for something really important,” he said. “At the Cottage it will be tough for them, 100 percent sure, but we'll have to play at our maximum.
"We beat them 4-0 but it didn't reflect the game. He's doing really well, playing good football, playing at a good level. Some signings made them stronger. Now they're in a good position."
