Fulham head coach Marco Silva is happy concerning the competitors creating between forwards Raul Jimenez and Rodrigo Muniz.
Muniz got here into the facet and scored a match-winning brace of their 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic within the FA Cup fourth spherical, having beforehand come off the bench to attain the winner towards Newcastle final outing within the league.
Whereas Muniz’s FA Cup look was his first begin for the reason that earlier spherical, Silva is eager to counsel that the battle for a spot within the XI is wholesome for the workforce.
“It’s nice competitors between him and Raul, positively,” he stated. “It’s at all times good when you’ve gotten two strikers which were scoring objectives, and necessary objectives for us.
“The very best instance is what occurred final Premier League sport towards Newcastle, when each scored.
“When you’ve gotten an opportunity to begin a sport like Rodrigo, it’s important to step in and he did it. That is what you need.
“I do know that I made 10 adjustments. Generally it’s not simple to maintain the identical consistency by way of the way in which of play, however more often than not of the sport we did it.
“Rodrigo did one thing that’s actually robust. Contained in the field is absolutely robust. I’m actually happy concerning the second purpose, as a result of it’s one thing that we now have been working with him, with most of these runs and strikes.
“That’s one thing that’s clear to enhance, to know generally that we can’t at all times play with our again to purpose.
“Nice response for him. Not stunned, as he’s in a superb second, like Raul. Nice competitors, only for me, for me to determine who’s going to be the very best answer for every sport associated to the technique, the second, the opposition facet too.”
Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, in the meantime, has defended his squad rotation in the course of the FA Cup after their penalty victory over Exeter Metropolis.
Nuno made 10 adjustments to the facet that thrashed Brighton 7-0 of their final Premier League match, with midfielder Danilo the one participant to retain his place within the beginning line-up.
Forest gamers have averaged extra minutes (1,032.2) than at another membership within the Premier League as they sustain their battle for a Champions League place.
“This was our concept, to attempt to create a platform for our gamers to have sport time and assist us transfer ahead for the remainder of the season,” he stated.
“If everybody has minutes of their legs, it would make issues simpler for us [in the Premier League], I hope. So long as we’re wholesome and have sufficient numbers, I feel we are able to compete in each competitions rather well.
“There aren’t any beginning gamers or substitutes, it’s a squad that we are going to use to face all of the competitions which might be forward of us.
“It’s not about resting gamers, it’s about rewarding the gamers who’re working so onerous. Lots of them are coming into video games and having a lot affect, so why not change issues round?”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Fulham – Raul Jimenez
Jimenez has scored three objectives in his final two Premier League video games towards Nottingham Forest, whereas he’s additionally one away from reaching double figures within the league for the primary time since 2019-20.
The Mexican has additionally scored 4 objectives in his final six league video games, together with Fulham’s first in 2-1 their comeback win over Newcastle United final outing.
Nottingham Forest – Chris Wooden
For the reason that begin of final season, solely Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea (12) have mixed for extra Premier League objectives than Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wooden and Anthony Elanga (11), with Elanga’s 10 assists for Wooden probably the most for a selected participant in that point.
Wooden is equal-third within the Premier League high goalscorer standings with 17, two again on Manchester Metropolis’s Erling Haaland and 5 additional adrift of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
MATCH PREDICTION: FULHAM WIN
Fulham have gained 4 of their 5 Premier League video games towards Forest (L1), together with each conferences at Craven Cottage by an mixture rating of 7-0.
In addition they come into this in good latest kind, having gained two of their final three Premier League video games (L1), as many as of their earlier 10 video games within the competitors (D6 L2), and will win successive league matches for the primary time since November.
Fulham have additionally misplaced simply two of their final eight Premier League video games during which they’ve conceded the opening purpose (W3 D3), with their three wins in 2024-25 solely bettered in 2002-03 (4).
Forest, nevertheless, have gained eight of their final 10 video games within the Premier League (D1 L1), with 5 of their 10 clear sheets within the league this season coming of their final eight matches.
Victory for Nuno’s facet will see them attain 50 factors in a top-flight season for the primary time since 1995-96, whereas doing so by their twenty fifth sport can be the second-fastest they’ve ever executed so in a top-flight marketing campaign after 1977-78 (twenty third sport when changing to 3 factors/win).
However they’ve misplaced 9 of their final 12 league video games towards Fulham, profitable the opposite three. Two of these three victories got here in away matches (2-1 in August 2019 and 1-0 in April 2022, each within the Championship).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Fulham – 44%
Draw – 26.8%
Nottingham Forest – 29.2%
