Nottingham Forest host Bristol City in an FA Cup fourth-round replay on Wednesday. On January 26, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team drew goallessly with their Championship rivals. Both teams had won at the second biting of the cherry before.
Preview (Nottingham Forest vs. Bristol City)
In the first encounter between Nottingham Forest and Bristol City, 16 shots were fired onto Ashton Gate turf. Despite this, neither goalie was able to get the ball in the goal. In retrospect, a draw seemed like a reasonable outcome. The match was the second of Forest’s four straight losses as their new manager’s bounce under Santo looks to have worn off. The two teams equaled one other on the possession counters with 50% apiece. Following their draw at Ashton Gate, Forest suffered narrow defeats to Brentford and Arsenal. Liam Manning was victorious over his old team in this match.
Nevertheless, that thrilling victory over the Europa Conference League winners is the only victory Bristol City has had in their last nine games across all competitions. They then shared the spoils with Forest, Watford, and Coventry City before hosting Leeds United in Friday’s Championship offering. The 1-0 scoreline certainly pleased the Robins. They were sliced open at will by Daniel Farke’s persistent warriors and had beleaguered shot-stopper Max O’Leary to thank for keeping the total down to just one goal. However, only Wilfried Gnonto made the net ripple at Ashton Gate.
Bristol City, who currently occupy an ordinary 14th spot in the Championship standings, is attempting to go to the FA Cup’s fifth round for the fourth time in six seasons. They have won their last three fourth-round encounters after Burnley eliminated them at this level in 2016–17. Though they have only won one of their last eleven away games. The Robins supporters are not likely to be overly optimistic.
Team News
After a rough challenge on the back of Hudson-Odoi’s leg over the weekend, which the former Chelsea attacker tried to avoid, Billing, a midfielder for Bournemouth, was sent off, forcing Rodrigo Ribeiro to take his position on the pitch. It’s unclear if Hudson-Odoi’s injury is serious enough to prevent him from playing in Wednesday’s replay. Forest will undoubtedly be missing Divock Origi (groin), Ola Aina, Willy Boly, and Ibrahim Sangare. All are semi-finalists in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Cheikhou Kouyate’s father passed away, and Forest let him to stay near home after Senegal’s elimination from the competition. It is unknown if the midfield player would return in time for Bristol City’s visit. If Hudson-Odoi and Chris Wood (hamstring) don’t recover in time, Ribeiro or fellow January loan signee Giovanni Reyna might be in line for their full debuts. Nevertheless, the midfield player is dealing with a thigh issue. While Ayman Benarous (ACL) and Kal Naismith (hamstring) are still recovering from their issues, Mark Sykes (hamstring) and Rob Atkinson (ACL) are both back in training but shouldn’t be considered for the midweek match.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Bristol City
For more football previews, click here
