Nottingham Forest's Premier League dream could be undone by a lack of "quality in reserve" as they get set to face Bournemouth in the club's biggest game of the season, if not the last two decades.
Steve Cooper has worked wonders with the squad he has, as well as making a few smart purchases in the January transfer window, to catapult the Reds into promotion contention. A win on Tuesday night would put them in the driving seat for second place heading into the final weekend of the campaign.
Forest have suffered a few injury setbacks in recent weeks, though, particularly in the forward line. Keinan Davis has been a pivotal figure up front since joining on loan from Aston Villa in January, but pulled up with a hamstring injury against Luton last month. That ruled him out of the remainder of the season, although a return for the play-offs, if needed, is still possible.
CRYSTAL BALL: Don Goodman makes Forest vs Bournemouth prediction which could benefit Steve Cooper’s men
OPPOSITION VIEW: Bournemouth ace says Nottingham Forest have been 'unbelievable'
Lewis Grabban returned from an ankle sprain two weeks ago just to injure his hamstring as well. He is also out for the season, leaving Forest a little light up front.
Sam Surridge lead the line superbly in their absence, scoring a hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Swansea City. He'll need to remain at the top of his game in these final two fixtures, though, and so much of the focus will be on him to deliver as the focal point in attack.
They are also coming up against a Bournemouth side with a lot of squad depth, having brought in a plethora of players in both the summer and winter windows. You can tell they are loaded with attacking talent when Kieffer Moore is merely a backup option to free-scoring Dominic Solanke. In the past year alone they have brought in Ryan Christie, Jamal Lowe, Siriki Dembele, Emiliano Marcondes, and Todd Cantwell, too.
That could be the difference between two sides and what catches Forest out in this promotion race, according to former Chelsea player and EFL pundit Sam Parkin. He suggests that they're energetic style of play could catch up with them.
"My only concern with Forest is that there's not an abundance of quality in reserve, although (Alex) Mighten came on and got a goal and (Joe) Lolley is still around the place and getting minutes," Parkin told the Totally Football League Show.
"That's my one concern heading into this enormous game, that they're playing at such a high tempo. That's the word that jumped out to me when I saw them at Fulham."
Get the latest Forest news straight to your inbox!
Despite his apprehension about the depth of quality in the squad, Parkin has been left highly impressed by Forest. The pundit labelled them an "entertaining watch" under Cooper.
"Swansea City was a pretty similar game in that Swansea were always going to have all of the ball and Steve Cooper would have done his homework, know exactly how he wanted to approach it and they carried out the game-plan absolutely perfectly. There was a big gulf between the two sides and the victory could have been more handsome.
"They're in brilliant form. For a team who are built on energy, pressing in the middle of the pitch, pace up top - it's not a bad watch. They're really, really entertaining to watch for a team that gives up a lot of the ball. Full credit to them."
What's your score prediction? Let us know in the comments below!
