Alex Keble looks at the key talking points for Matchweek 35.
Now or never for Forest
After the agony of their 2-1 defeat at Brentford, where Nottingham Forest led until the 82nd minute, Steve Cooper must know it is now or never.
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Victory at home to bottom club Southampton is essential.
Anything less would be a crushing blow to their chances of safety.
Forest need to find another win from somewhere, and given that 80 per cent of their points have been won at the City Ground – and with Arsenal their only other home match left – Cooper’s side are running out of wiggle room. This really is it.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -34 | 39 |
| 16 |
Nottingham Forest
NFO
|
38 | -30 | 38 |
| 17 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -23 | 36 |
| 18 |
Leicester City
LEI
|
38 | -17 | 34 |
| 19 |
Leeds United
LEE
|
38 | -30 | 31 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
38 | -37 | 25 |
Fortunately for the hosts, this is a good time to face Southampton, who won two of their first three outings under Ruben Selles but are now on a nine-match winless run.
What’s more, Forest’s only away success this season was a 1-0 victory at St Mary's Stadium, and Forest have been resurgent over the last few weeks.
Beginning with a narrow 3-2 defeat at Liverpool, Cooper’s team have looked rejuvenated, scoring six goals in three matches and only losing at Brentford by the tightest of margins; the story of their season.
Forest have been beaten by a single goal in the Premier League seven times this season, including in three of their last six matches. They took the lead but failed to win on three separate occasions in April, losing two of those matches.
Cooper's side need a bit more luck to get over the line this weekend and revitalise their push to avoid relegation. But with Sam Allardyce at Leeds United and Dean Smith making progress at Leicester City, even three points here might not be enough.
