Nottingham Forest have started to show signs of good form in recent weeks, with two wins and two draws in their last four Premier League games.
Had it not been for a red card in their last game against Crystal Palace, then they may have gone on to win that game and add further pressure on Palace by dragging them deeper into the battle for survival.
Last week's 1-1 draw means that they are now level on points (26) with this week's opponents, Leeds United.
The side fromWest Yorkshire lost to league leadersArsenal last week, but in the last month or so, they have demonstrated significant signs of improvement. Over Christmas, they picked up several good results against some of the top sides in the league and that moved them away from the drop zone.
However, in recent weeks, they have dipped a bit and have drawn a few matches. In their last away game, Daniel Farke's side failed to capitalise on a good first-half performance at **Everton,**where they were 1-0 up but went on to draw 1-1.
When they met at the City Ground in November, Forest won the game 3-1, and it was a poor showing from Leeds, but that was one of the games that led to Farke's tactical switch and the subsequent improvements.
With the sides now level on points, it has the potential to be a huge game at the bottom and the winner will claim a key advantage.
Both sides currently have a six-point lead over 18th-placed West Ham, but there is a chance that the gap could be cut to three points on Saturday as the Hammers play fellow strugglers Burnley.
Forest will be without several key players
Neco Williams will be missing due to his red card last week and this will be a big miss because it leaves Forest with a bit of uncertainty as to who will play at full back.
Nicolo Savona will not be able to cover as he is currently out injured.
Against Palace, Sean Dyche reacted by putting Murillo at left back and Morato at centre-back. However, he may be cautious about breaking up the centre-back pairing of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, as Leeds have physical forwards, like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who could cause them problems.
The other option would be to play Zach Abbott at right back and move Ola Aina to the left side.
Alternatively, deadline day signing Luca Netz could make his debut at left back.
There could also be a start in goal for new signing Stefan Ortega after the injury to Matz Sels last week and Callum Hudson-Odoi could be out of the game as he has a shoulder issue.
A winnable game
Elland Road is not an easy place to go and it will be a tough test but Forest will likely view this as a winnable game.
Given that they have the UEFA Europa League playoff games coming up later in the month and games against Liverpool and Manchester City to come inside the next month, they may want to ensure that they can pick up a positive result in Yorkshire.
There was a feeling that the games against Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Wednesday's match with Wolverhampton Wanderers could go some way to deciding their fate.
After the upturn in results and performances, they will travel north with an element of confidence but will also recognise the importance of not losing the game.
A point and not three from the Palace game maybe adds a slight bit of extra pressure to this match but denying Leeds a win will also be a key aim and potentially part of how Dyche sets the side up. A draw may not be a disaster.
Neither side are safe yet
There is an outcome where both of these sides stay up, and it remains West Ham, who remain in the drop zone.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side still have work to do and missed the chance to claim a vital win at Chelsea last week, when they were 2-0 up. If they win at the weekend, it keeps pressure on Forest and Leeds because they still need to pick up more points. Therefore, it is too early to think that the job has been done.
Forest will feel optimistic that they can do enough to stay up but this weekend will be another game where everyone will be watching and it will be down to Dyche's side to prove their qualities and that they can come away with the required result.
Defensively, Dyche's men have looked solid in recent weeks and have two clean sheets in their last three Premier League games, as well as another last week in the Europa League. The only goals they have conceded recently are an own goal away at SC Braga and the penalty against Palace.
This should provide a boost for the threat of Leeds, but equally, there will likely be a desire for theReds to show their attacking quality and not sit back, but attack the game from the start and look to grab an early goal. In their last two league games, they have scored early and this then gives them a good platform to defend.
Players like Igor Jesus have started to show they are adapting to the demands of the league, so there will be hope that he can make an impact.
With Ortega possibly starting and Lorenzo Lucca and Luca Netz on the bench, it could be the first opportunity for fans to see their January signings.
Missing several players is not the ideal preparation but Forest have a squad of players and it is their chance to use this, in the hope of continuing their signs of improvement after a tough set of results previously.