Pundits Chris Sutton and Paul Merson disagree about the likely result of Nottingham Forest's game against Fulham tomorrow evening.
Forest host Marco Silva's Fulham at the City Ground after missing a round of fixtures following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Steve Cooper will be looking for his team to bounce back after the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth last time out.
Tomorrow's game will give us a chance to "find out how resilient" Forest really are, Sutton thinks, as the Reds look to build momentum following a difficult start to life back in the Premier League. Sutton doesn't think that will start now though, predicting a 2-0 defeat for Forest.
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"This is a massive game for Forest too, after they lost 3-2 to Bournemouth last time out at the City Ground, after leading 2-0," Sutton said. "I thought the manner of that defeat could be damaging for Forest and their fans, and we might find out how resilient they are here because Fulham will have a real go at them.
"Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice when Fulham won this fixture 4-0 in the Championship last season. Forest fans won't thank me for saying this, but I don't think they will keep Mitrovic quiet this time either, even though they have a completely different team."
Fellow pundit Paul Merson, meanwhile, thinks Forest will show enough resilience to get a point from the game - though do not yet have enough to pick up a victory. "Forest have to win this game, much like what's the case for Villa," he said.
"Fulham, on the other hand, have done really well this season. They've attacked teams and played on the front foot, while Aleksandar Mitrovic has continued to bang in the goals.
"This will be a game full of chances and Fulham just have to make sure they don't lose. As for Forest, I think they've signed too many players and that could be a bit of a problem. They are having a proper go at staying up and I like that, while many of their players were on loan at the club last season when they got promoted. Steve Cooper is a good coach and he'll look to get a few points here and there till the World Cup.
"Not many Forest players will go to the World Cup, so that could give them a proper chance to work with their manager and understand his philosophy. As I said earlier, they need to hang on until then and ensure they don't lose too many games."
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