Ipswich Town host Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon knowing that victory will take them to within a point of a place in the Championship playoffs at the end of the season.

Forest have little to play for, but after seeing his team fail to register a win since the middle of March, manager Dougie Freedman will be calling on a committed display from his players.

Ipswich Town

Ipswich have been far from convincing in recent weeks but 11 points from six games have ensured that they are in prime position to secure a top-six spot on May 2.

The Tractor Boys had to dig deep to see off the challenges of Blackpool and Cardiff City at Portman Road ahead of what Mick McCarthy would have seen as a test of their character against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

However, while the performance wasn't necessarily pretty, it was effective in gaining Ipswich the 1-1 draw that they needed to ensure that Wolves remained three points behind them in the Championship standings.

Ipswich also benefited from the slip-up of Brentford at home to Bolton Wanderers, and the club head into these remaining two games requiring four points to get over the line as far as sixth place is concerned.

One player who has played a crucial part in Ipswich maintaining their place among the top eight teams in the division is Freddie Sears. The January signing had to remain patient during his opening weeks at the club, but eight goals in 19 games have proved invaluable to his new club.

Strike partner Daryl Murphy has only contributed one in his last seven games, but their little-and-large partnership is improving by the game and they could be the difference between playoffs and eighth place.

Recent form: WDLWWD

Nottingham Forest

After penning a new contract at the City Ground, Freedman can head into the remaining fixtures of the season with the next campaign in mind, but Nottingham Forest need to rediscover that winning feeling before the summer.

Soon after arriving at the club, the Scot revitalised a team who had lost their way under Stuart Pearce, but over the past six games, they have slipped back into their former ways.

They have endured a testing schedule, but a return of two points isn't good enough to satisfy anyone associated with the club and it's important that they don't end the season having failed to record a win since March 18.

After losing four in five, Freedman would have been encouraged by the 3-3 draw with Blackburn Rovers. The result doesn't tell the whole story, with Forest coming from behind on three occasions to salvage their ninth draw on the road this season.

That fixture also saw an improved display from Michail Antonio, who has been hampered by a number of niggles, but the team's forward line aren't netting enough goals.

Just two of their last 10 strikes have come from a forward - both courtesy of Dexter Blackstock - and while their defence has also struggled, results would improve if they could rely on one of their marksmen to score on a regular basis.

Recent form: LLDLLD

Team News

On-loan midfielder Jonathan Williams has returned to parent club Crystal Palace after suffering a groin injury in a reserve match on Monday.

That will result in a change on the substitutes' bench, while Paul Anderson could get the nod over Jonathan Parr in midfield if McCarthy opts for an attacking change.

Freedman has indicated that changes will be kept to a minimum after spending a week "getting his point across" to his squad.

One possible alteration could be the inclusion of Chris Burke in place of Modou Barrow.

Ipswich Town possible starting lineup:
Bialkowski, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Anderson, Skuse, Bishop, Tabb, Mings, Sears, Murphy

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Darlow, Lichaj, Lascelles, Hobbs, Fox, Gardner, Lansbury, Vaughan, Barrow, Blackstock, Antonio

Head To Head

Nottingham Forest have proven to be the dominant side in 59 previous meetings with Ipswich, with the East Midlands outfit emerging victorious on 27 occasions compared to just 17 times for the Tractor Boys.

The head-to-head record has swung heavily in favour of Forest due to a run of games that has seen Ipswich win just once in 11 attempts, but the last three matches between the two clubs have ended in draws.

Ipswich were on course to win at the City Ground in October before Antonio struck in the fourth minute of added-on time to earn his side a share of the spoils.

We say: Ipswich Town 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Despite winning their previous two home matches, Ipswich have made life difficult for themselves, but with the stakes getting higher by the week, we expect the Tractor Boys to build on their recent results with another three points over Forest.