Nottingham Forest welcome Barnsley to the City Ground on Saturday afternoon looking to move clear of the Championship relegation zone.

Meanwhile, the visitors are without a win in four matches, their worst run of form in the second tier since the arrival of Valerien Ismael in October.

Match preview

When Forest were recently able to put together a six-match unbeaten streak in the second tier, Chris Hughton would have been optimistic that his squad would soon move clear of trouble.

However, a 2-1 defeat at home to Middlesbrough was followed by a 5-1 drubbing against Swansea City in the FA Cup, leaving Hughton with much to ponder heading into this fixture.

Even though changes were made for the trip to the Liberty Stadium, Hughton would have felt disillusioned with the performance level of players who would have been looking to make an impression.

Victory over Barnsley at the weekend could move Forest into 18th place, higher than they have been throughout this entire campaign.

With Derby County and Rotherham United showing no signs of dropping off the pace, however, Forest could drop back into the bottom three by Saturday evening.

There will be those associated with Barnsley who are satisfied with not being involved in a battle to avoid the drop, especially after the dramatic conclusion of last season.

Nevertheless, while their three recent defeats have come to teams sitting in the top four, momentum has been lost in their bid to remain in contention for the playoffs.

On the back of beating Norwich City in the FA Cup and claiming a draw with Cardiff City in midweek, Ismael will remain relatively upbeat about the second half of the campaign.

With seven points now separating the Tykes and the top six, the Frenchman's perception of the situation may change if Barnsley can not heap further misery on Forest at the weekend.

Nottingham Forest Championship form: DDDWWL
Nottingham Forest form (all competitions): DWWWLL

Barnsley Championship form: WWLLLD
Barnsley form (all competitions): LWLLDW

Team News

Ismael could make several changes to his Barnsley XI after witnessing his side let slip a two-goal lead versus Cardiff.

Jack Walton, Michael Sollbauer, Herbie Kane and Conor Chaplin are all pushing to be involved at the City Ground.

Hughton is likely to recall the majority of the players which dropped out of the side for the game with Swansea.

Yuri Ribeiro's suspension should result in either Gaetan Bong or Tyler Blackett deputising at left-back.

Joe Lolley and Anthony Knockaert will also feel that they deserve an opportunity in the final third.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Samba; Christie, Worrall, McKenna, Blackett; Yates, Sow; Lolley, Cafu, Knockaert; Grabban

Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Walton; Sollbauer, Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Kane, Mowatt, Styles; Frieser, Woodrow, Chaplin

We say: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Barnsley

The manner of their defeat at Swansea will concern Hughton, and it may lead to a tentative performance from the home side. With Barnsley having gotten back on track over the past week, they could take full advantage of any lack of belief in the Forest backline.

Top betting tip

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