Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace will look to bring an end to their winless run when they hit the road to face Nottingham Forest.

Nottingham Forest have been unbeaten in their last three league games, and they will look to build on these results when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The Tricky Trees are 17th on the table with 25 points in their 23 outings. While they have been struggling since the start of the season, they are still five points clear of the team in 18th, having collected seven points in their last three league outings.

Nottingham secured a clinical 2-0 win over Brentford in the league last time out, and they are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-0 win over Ferencvarosi in the Europa League. Their recent form suggests they could make life really difficult for the Eagles.

The visitors are 15th on the table with 28 points in their 23 outings. While they are eight points clear of the drop zone, Oliver Glanser’s team have been in very poor form of late. They have failed to win any of their last 11 games across competitions.

Their last league win came at the start of December. The Eagles are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea, and they will have to do much better to stand a chance. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.

Team News & Tactics

Nottingham Forest

The Tricky Trees will be without the services of Chris Wood, Nicolo Savona and John Victor because of a knee injury. Apart from the trio, everyone else should be available for selection.

Nottingham will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Matz Sels will be in goal. Ola Aina and Neco Williams will feature as the full-backs, while Murillo will start alongside Nikola Milenkovic in the heart of the defence.

Elliot Anderson will return to the starting XI, and he will partner with Ibrahim Sangare in the centre of the park. The duo will shield the backline and look to control the tempo of the game.

Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolas Domínguez will feature on the flanks, while Morgan Gibbs-White will take up the number ten role. Igor Jesus will be the one leading the line for the home team.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Sangare; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Dominguez; Igor Jesus

Crystal Palace

The Eagles will be without the services of Eddie Nketiah (muscle), Chieck Doucoure (knee) and Daichi Kamada (muscle).

Adam Wharton is suspended following a red card last time out. Meanwhile, Nathaniel Clyne will undergo a late fitness test. Meanwhile, Glanser has confirmed Jean-Philippe Mateta will not be involved in this fixture, amidst links with AC Milan.

Crystal Palace will line up in a 3-4-3 formation, where Dean Henderson will take charge in goal. The back three will be made up of Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, and Jaydee Canvot.

Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell will feature as the wing-backs, while Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes will partner in central midfield. The duo will look to ensure Nottingham midfielders do not run the show.

Yeremy Pino and Ismaila Sarr will feature on the flanks, providing width to their attacks. With Mateta unavailable, Christantus Uche could be the one leading the line.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Canvot; Munoz, Lerma, Hughes, Mitchell; Pino, Uche, Sarr

Key Stats

• The Tricky Trees have won 30 out of the 70 matches against the Eagles, who have only won 16 of those fixtures.
• After a three-match winless run, Nottingham have won their last two games and have kept a clean sheet in both those games.
• Crystal Palace have been winless in their last 11 matches across competitions.
• The Eagles last won a game back in December against Shelbourne in the Europa Conference League.
• The Tricky Trees haven’t lost any of their last ten matches against the Eagles.

Player to Watch

Christantus Uche

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On loan from Getafe, Uche has had very limited game time at Crystal Palace this season. He has been involved in 19 matches across competitions, but has racked up just over 400 minutes. However, he still has three goal contributions.

With Mateta not taking any part in this fixture, the 22-year-old could end up making a rare start. He will certainly be eager to make the most out of this opportunity, and he has the skillset needed to trouble Nottingham’s backline.

Prediction

Nottingham Forest 2-2 Crystal Palace

Nottingham Forest’s recent upturn in form and their growing confidence at home suggest they will fancy their chances of extending their unbeaten run. With back-to-back clean sheets and attacking players finding rhythm, the Tricky Trees should be able to impose themselves for long spells and create enough chances to trouble a fragile Palace defence.

However, Crystal Palace will be desperate to halt their alarming winless streak and could approach this game with a more cautious, counter-attacking setup. While the Eagles lack momentum, their pace in wide areas could still pose problems, and this contest has the makings of a closely fought encounter where neither side does quite enough to pull away. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw in this fixture.