Paul Merson has delivered his verdict on who he thinks will win when Nottingham Forest face Brighton at the City Ground.
It’s been 11 games since the Reds last tasted victory and they really have to get three points tomorrow night.
With Leicester playing Leeds this evening, Forest are in danger of being cast adrift inside the relegation zone.
Steve Cooper’s team put in an improved performance at the weekend. They were beaten 3-2 by Liverpool but showed some fight.
Performances at this stage won’t come with much praise though. Forest need points and they need them quickly.
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Merson actually thinks tomorrow night could be a good team for the Reds to face Brighton.
They come to the City Ground on the back of an FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United where they lost on penalties.
Merson thinks that fatigue and their mental strength could come into question on Wednesday night.
The Sky Sports pundit told Sportskeeda: “Nottingham Forest did alright against Liverpool and were a lot better than everyone thought they would be.
“But, their defending was atrocious. If you don’t win any of your away games, you’ve got to win at home.
“Brighton just crashed out of the FA Cup. With the way they lost, they’ll be deflated. Forest could have a chance because Brighton have to pick those players up.
“The timing matters a lot. I’m backing Nottingham Forest to pull off a shock win this week.”
Merson says who he thinks will win when Forest play Brighton
The Reds desperately need to claim all three points on Wednesday night.
Their situation right now is perilous and they can ill afford another defeat ahead of a tough away game at Brentford.
Brighton might be in a different frame of mind ahead of this one.
Playing for 120 minutes and then losing on penalties won’t have been easy and it will be interesting to see how they start.
Cooper has overseen four defeats on the spin and he’s found himself under considerable pressure lately.
Forest fought for him on Saturday and they will need to do the same tomorrow night.