Match preview: Forest vs Millwall in association with Football Index

5 March 2020

Check out all you need to know ahead of the big game at The City Ground between Nottingham Forest and Millwall in the match preview, in association with Football Index.

Nottingham Forest are back in action on Trentside as they welcome play-off chasing Millwall for another evenly-contested clash in the Championship on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm).

The Reds secured four points on the road in the last week, defeating Cardiff and drawing at Middlesbrough, and will be hoping to make that seven points against The Lions.

Millwall are one of the sides lurking outside the top six at the moment and will be looking to gatecrash the play-offs come May, but will have to turn their recent form around if they are to stand a chance.

Team news

Sabri Lamouchi has confirmed that Samba Sow will be sidelined once again for the match against Millwall, but is hopeful that he can return for the trip to Sheffield Wednesday next weekend.

Tiago Silva is sidelined again, and will be for a couple of weeks, with John Bostock and Joao Carvalho pushing for starting spots after impressive cameos off the bench at Middlesbrough.

Forest thoughts

Sabri Lamouchi

Lewis Grabban

Head to head

	Forest wins	Draws	Millwall wins
League	19	21	23
FA Cup	1	0	1
League Cup	2	1	2
Total	22	22	26

Last time out

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From the opposition

Millwall manager Gary Rowett says his side must kick on if they are to reach the top six, despite there being no pressure on his side to do so.

"I remember speaking about our ambitions for the team, what we felt was achievable, and I certainly felt within a two- or three-year period we could challenge for the top six," Rowett said.

"But the initial aim was just to stabilise. Obviously we wanted to show ambition and win games, but the main objective was to make sure that we weren't battling down the bottom of the division, and instead seeing where we could climb to in the table.

"Sometimes we can get caught up in where we are in the league, if we can win a game or not win a game and the disappointment if we don't win. The expectation levels have climbed a little because we've done quite well, which is only right.

"But to still be in the mix with 10 games to go, I think a lot of credit can go to the players. The disappointment of not winning the game against Bristol City, who have had four years to build in the Championship, to be disappointed to draw against Fulham, shows what we think we can achieve.

"Yes, we're five points off the top six, but I just want to see if we can do what we can to win every game."

Tickets and travel

There's set to be another strong crowd on Trentside with Reds fans backing the team once again. Full ticket details can be found here.

Supporters making their way to The City Ground may find this matchday guide useful.

Parking will be limited at Nottingham Rugby Club due to an event being held there, while supporters are reminded to allow extra time if travelling by car due to the closure of the A52.

The eastbound side of the bridge from Queens Drive to Nottingham Knight roundabout will be closed from 10pm on Friday night to allow works to be carried out. Follow Highways England on Twitter for the latest information.

Ticket News

Tickets: Sheffield Wednesday (A)

11 March 2020

Referee

Geoff Eltringham will be the man in the middle as he takes charge of his 24th match of the season.

Eltringham, from County Durham, has shown 84 yellow cards and two reds in his matches so far, while this will be his third Forest match of the season having taken charge of the 1-1 home draw against Preston and the 2-0 away victory at Hull.

Coverage

The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, therefore there will be no live feed of the game on iFollow Forest. Audio commentary, provided by BBC Radio Nottingham, will be available, however.

There will also be full coverage via the club's official social media channels and in the Match Centre.

Club News

February Player of the Month

5 March 2020

Other fixtures

To be played at 3pm on Saturday unless otherwise stated:

Bristol City vs Fulham (12.30pm)
Barnsley vs Cardiff
Birmingham vs Reading
Brentford vs Sheffield Wednesday
Charlton vs Middlesbrough
Leeds vs Huddersfield
Preston vs QPR
Stoke vs Hull
Swansea vs West Brom
Wigan vs Luton
Derby vs Blackburn (Sunday)

Match Reports

Forest 0-3 Millwall

6 March 2020

Three first-half goals condemned Nottingham Forest to defeat against Millwall at The City Ground.

Matt Smith struck a hat-trick as The Reds’ promotion bid took a blow on a disappointing night on Trentside.

Sabri Lamouchi made one change to the side which drew at Middlesbrough on Monday, with Joao Carvalho returning to the starting line-up in place of Ryan Yates, and the Portuguese midfielder made a bright start as he looked to create an opening for The Reds.

He had the game’s first effort on target as he drilled a low shot straight at Bartosz Bialkowski in the Millwall goal before Joe Lolley fizzed an effort over the crossbar from the edge of the area.

It was a lively opening quarter-of-an-hour with both sides showing plenty of intent going forward, but it was the visitors who made the most of it, taking the lead through Smith on 20 minutes. Some good work by Murray Wallace down the left led to him playing in a low cross which Smith stooped to head firmly past Samba and give the visitors the advantage.

The goal seemed to suck the life out of Forest and spur on Millwall and on 26 it was two as Jayson Molumby’s shot from 12 yards out deflected off the boot of Smith and into the back of the net.

The Lions’ confidence was soaring and just after the half-hour mark they added a third, Smith again causing the Forest defence problems as he rose highest at a corner to head home from close range and complete his hat-trick.

Forest came out for the second half in positive fashion, looking for an immediate response after the break. They probed for openings without creating anything clear-cut, Carvalho shooting over the bar and a number of crosses testing the Millwall defence which held firm.

John Bostock came off the bench and hit a stinging shot just after the hour-mark, forcing Bialkowski to parry clear and again on 78, this time from further out with Bialkowski producing an even better save.

The visitors defended resolutely, keeping Forest at arm’s length as The Reds found no way through on a disappointing night at The City Ground.

Forest: Samba, Cash, Figueiredo, Worrall, Ribeiro, Watson (c), Semedo (Bostock 46’), Lolley (Diakhaby 80’), Carvalho (Walker 72’), Ameobi, Grabban

Unused subs: Muric, Jenkinson, Dawson, Yates

Booking: Samba 80’

Millwall: Bialkowski, Romeo, Hutchinson (c), Cooper, M.Wallace, J.Wallace, Molumby, Woods, Ferguson (Bodvarsson 86’), Bennett (Bradshaw 61’), Smith (Pearce 80’)

Unused subs: Sandford, Williams, Mahoney, O’Brien

Goals: Smith 20’, 26’, 33’

Booking: Cooper 87’

Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Attendance: 27,307 (936 away)

Ticket News

Back the boys for crucial Millwall clash!

5 March 2020

Tickets for Nottingham Forest's home game against Millwall in the Sky Bet Championship are now on general sale.

The Lions visit The City Ground on Friday 6th March (kick-off 7.45pm) and prices for this fixture start from just £25 for adults and £5 for juniors. For full pricing information, please see below:

Dates of sale

Home members - 9am on Monday 27th January*

Season card holders - 9am on Tuesday 28th January**

General sale - 9am on Thursday 30th January

*1 ticket per home member

**3 additional tickets per season card holder

Tickets can be purchased by visiting tickets.nottinghamforest.co.uk, calling the ticket office on 0115 982 4388 or visiting the ticket office in-person.

Supporters who choose to buy tickets online can also beat the queues by taking advantage of the print-at-home service meaning that they can get their hands on their tickets immediately, rather than queuing to collect them. Why not check out this useful video which explains how it works...

For supporters who do choose the print-at-home option, please remember to open the PDF attachment which accompanies your purchase confirmation email. This contains the ticket you must print off and use on matchday. It is also worth remembering that print-at-home tickets on mobile phones will not work, so do not try this at the turnstiles as you will be sent to the ticket office to obtain a paper ticket instead.

Matchday hospitality

Hospitality packages start from just £60 (+VAT) per person and details can be found by visiting the commercial website or by calling 0115 982 4450 for more details.

Supporters with accessible seating needs

Supporters who are registered as having accessible seating requirements with Nottingham Forest can claim a Disabled Companion seat providing that they are entitled to the high rate of Disabled Living Allowance for either care or mobility, the high rate of Attendance Allowance or the Enhanced Rate of Personal Independence Payment.

Unfortunately, supporters who require a disabled companion seat (personal assistant) cannot currently buy their tickets online. However, you can still call the ticket office on 0115 982 4388 or email accessibility@nottinghamforest.co.uk detailing your requirements and we will get back to you.