Brighton & Hove Albion vs Nottingham Forest

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Nottingham Forest are set to lock horns at the Amex Stadium in a clash of the two out-of-form Premier League clubs.

Brighton will no longer have to worry about zig-zagging between domestic and continental commitments after being thrashed by Roma in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie (0-4). That was their third consecutive loss without a reply across all competitions. These past few weeks have poured misery on Roberto De Zerbi’s tenure, with Brighton bowing out of the FA Cup, getting on the verge of Europa League elimination, and losing ground on the Premier League top-seven race. However, the immediate return to East Sussex, where the Seagulls are unbeaten in their last 11 league outings (W5, D6), should help them haul back a three-point deficit on seventh-placed West Ham. But two draws in their three most recent top-flight home games (W1) don’t make for good reading.

Visiting Nottingham Forest will hope to benefit from Brighton’s rough patch and avoid suffering only their third league double at the hands of the Seagulls following a 3-2 home defeat in the reverse fixture. However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have had little time to recover from last weekend’s morale-crushing 1-0 home loss to Liverpool, which extended their losing run in all competitions to three matches. Leaving the City Ground doesn’t bode well either, with the Tricky Trees going winless on their last five competitive travels (D3, L2 – 90 minutes only). Their away record in the Premier League spells further trouble, with just one win from their ten previous top-flight road trips painting a bleak picture (D3, L6).