Blackburn vs Nottingham Forest preview: Championship clash live on Sky Sports Football Red Button
Watch live on Sky Sports Football Red Button and the Sky Sports app from 7.40pm on Tuesday; kick-off is at 7.45pm
Tuesday 1 October 2019 09:52, UK
Blackburn face Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday. Coverage gets underway live on Sky Sports Football Red Button at 7.40pm, while kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Team news
Corry Evans and Joe Rothwell could return to the Blackburn squad for the visit of Nottingham Forest. Both midfielders resumed training on Monday following absences due to illness, with Rovers boss Tony Mowbray insisting Rothwell would have started at the weekend had he been available.
Defender Tosin Adarabioyo is fit again after recovering from a thigh injury while forward Dominic Samuel (knee) is also back in contention. However, former Red Ben Brereton (knee) and fellow striker Dan Butterworth (back) are still sidelined.
Forest defender Michael Dawson is a major doubt for the trip to Ewood Park - and may also miss the home game against Brentford. The 35-year-old was forced off late in the first half of the win at Stoke on Friday night with a calf injury.
Reds boss Sabri Lamouchi has plenty of options to cover for Dawson with Chema, who came on against Stoke, Tobias Figueiredo and Alexander Milosevic all available. Elsewhere, Albert Adomah, Tiago Silva and Alfa Semedo will also be hoping for recalls.
Recent form
Following a 5-0 humbling by Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last Tuesday, Forest moved top of the Championship on Friday night after individual errors helped them to a 3-2 victory at Stoke. That came in the wake of successive 1-0 victories over Swansea and Barnsley.
Rovers lost each of their last three games in August and started September by breezing past Millwall 2-0 at Ewood Park, before fighting off a second-half comeback to beat Reading 2-1. Last time out, they were beaten 2-1 by Luton, with ex-player Matty Pearson netting the winner for the Hatters.
What the managers said...
Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray: "When you break the weekend game down, we contrived to lose, but let's be positive now, let's try to keep dominating games and let's attack Nottingham Forest. They're a decent side who I don't think have been beaten since the opening day of the season.
"Forest are a different challenge to the one Luton posed at the weekend. They have some good players and the result would suggest that they're a very good side. They beat Stoke City on Friday night and with it went top for a few hours. They're right up there competing, and it's just the next challenge for us."
Nottingham Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi: "We're absolutely ready for the fight. We know we must play much better than we did [against Stoke] but at least we know this. We gave Stoke too much time and too much space in the first half and when you do that in the Championship, you know you will get hurt.
"Being top changes absolutely nothing for me. Of course I understand it is very nice for the club and for the fans but we are still so far away from the end of the season. We'll get to the next international break after Blackburn and Brentford and see where we are."
Talking point - Are Forest genuine promotion contenders?
For the first time in the best part of a decade, Friday night saw Nottingham Forest sit top of the Championship. Granted, Saturday's action was still to come, as was the fact they'd drop to third as a result, but this is uncharted territory for the former European champions and potentially a sign of things to come.
When Sabri Lamouchi took over from Martin O'Neill in the summer, there were questions asked. Known as a former French international, his colourful managerial CV showed spells with the Ivory Coast national team, Ligue 1 outfit Rennes and Qatari club El Jaish. He has impressed so far, though, with a settled line-up whose sole defeat came on the opening day. The club who've been out of the Premier League for 20 years look to have built the foundations to launch something memorable.
Latest highlights
Opta stats
Blackburn are unbeaten in their last eight league matches against Nottingham Forest (W4 D4 L0) since losing 4-1 in January 2014.
Nottingham Forest have won one of their last eight league visits to Blackburn (W1 D3 L4), winning 1-0 in August 2013 under Billy Davies.
Blackburn are winless in their last seven home league games in which they've conceded at least one goal (D1 L6), since a 2-1 win over West Brom in January.
Nottingham Forest are looking to secure four consecutive league wins for the first time since a run of six in March 2013.
Thirteen of Lewis Grabban's 21 league goals for Nottingham Forest have been away from home, including four of his five this season.
