Brighton & Hove Albion will host Nottingham Forest at the Amex Stadium for the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday, looking to book their place in the semi-finals.
Brighton & Hove Albion have an impressive record vs Nottingham Forest at home, and they are unbeaten in the last five meetings against Saturday’s opposition at the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls are coming into the game on the back of five wins and a draw from their last six matches, and they will be full of confidence. Fabian Hurzeler’s men have been in impressive form, and they will certainly look to get the job done here.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are coming into this game on the back of three consecutive victories, and they will be full of confidence as well. They managed to pick up an astounding 7-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion back in February, and it will be interesting to see if they can grind out a similar result here.
The home side will look to avenge that humiliating defeat, and it remains to be seen how the match unfolds. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
The away side will be without James Milner due to a thigh injury, Igor Julio due to a hamstring issue, Jason Steele due to a shoulder complaint, Tariq Lamptey due to an ankle injury, Joel Veltman due to an ankle injury, and Ferdi Kadioglu with an ankle issue as well.
Brighton & Hove Albion will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Nottingham Forest, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Jack Hinshelwood and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact at the back. Jan Paul van Hecke will form the central defensive partnership alongside Adam Webster.
As for the midfield unit, Yasin Ayari and Carlos Baleba will pair up in the double pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side and break down the opposition’s attacking moves.
Georginio Rutter will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start in the wide areas. They will look to add pace and flair to the side. Joao Pedro will lead the Brighton attack vs Nottingham Forest on Saturdya.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Webster, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Adingra, Rutter, Mitoma; Pedro
Nottingham Forest
Carlos Miguel is the only injury worry for the away side due to a hamstring injury. Other than that, Nuno Espirito Santo has a full-strength squad. Nottingham Forest will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Brighton & Hove Albion, with Matz Sels in goal.
Neco Williams and Ola Aina will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Nikola Milenkovic will pair up alongside Murillo at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Ryan Yates and Elliot Anderson will start in the double pivot, and they will look to add defensive steel to the side. Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi will look to add pace, flair and goals from the wide areas.
Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Finally, Chris Wood will lead the line for Nottingham Forest vs Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturdya.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Key Stats
Brighton & Hove Albion are undefeated in their last five home matches vs Nottingham Forest in all competitions.
Brighton & Hove Albion are undefeated in their last six matches in all competitions.
Nottingham Forest have won their last three matches in all competitions.
21 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
Chris Wood has scored more goals against Brighton & Hove Albion than against any other opponent in his English club career in all competitions (12), netting four times in two games against them this term alone.
Player to Watch
Kaoru Mitoma
Embed from Getty Images
The Japanese international was in good form prior to the international break, and he is our key player to watch out for. He will look to open up the Nottingham Forest defence with his pace and flair. Mitoma will look to create chances for his teammates and add width to the side. Brighton will need his ingenuity to create ample chances here, and he could make a defining contribution in the final third.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither team will want to end up on the losing side. Brighton & Hove Albion have been formidable at home, and they are coming into this game on the back of some impressive performances.
The Seagulls have been very difficult to beat in recent weeks, and they will be desperate to avenge the humiliating defeat against Nottingham Forest back in February. Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet here, but Brighton are likely to edge this one. A narrow victory for the home team is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Fabian Hurzeler and his men.