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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 21
Brentford v Nottingham Forest
Gtech Community Stadium
London, England
Saturday, 20 January 2024
Kick-off is at 19h30
The pressure will be on Brentford manager Thomas Frank to halt a five-match losing streak when Nottingham Forest arrive at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, January 20.
The Bees (16th) are perilously close to the relegation zone at the midway point of the
Premier League season after winning just five of their opening 19 matches.
Frank's side closed out 2023 with a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on December 30, which left them just three points above Luton (18th) after taking nothing from their last five outings.
Forest ended the calendar year on a high by claiming back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Manchester United to open up a four-point gap to the bottom three.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side are one point above the West Londoners in 15th spot, although they're played one game more but have gained a new belief under the Portuguese tactician, who replaced Steve Cooper at the helm on December 20.
However, the Reds have yet to beat Brentford in the Premier League, with the reverse fixture at the City Ground on October 1 finishing 1-1. The two teams played out to a 2-2 draw at the same venue in their first-ever top-flight meeting last season, while the Bees triumphed 2-1 in West London on 29 April 2023.
Frank revealed he is looking forward to the return of Ivan Toney, who served an eight-month ban for betting offences. The striker scored a penalty in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Brondby on January 13.
"Even if we had everyone available and we had won five in a row, or if we had a few players out and lost a few games, I would always look forward to Ivan coming back. He is needed as a character, a leader and a good player," the Dane said.
Nuno is not about to let his players rest on their laurels after the impressive results against the Magpies and Red Devils, and insists the only way to get out of trouble is by working hard on the training pitch.
"There's no other way to improve, we have to work. Every day in the training ground is important, every minute is important," the Portuguese said.
"We're already starting to see that they are helping each other, working for each other, and that must be the spirit. So let's take advantage of this period to work not only the aspects on the pitch, but also our togetherness as a group."
Head-to-Head (Previous Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 3
Brentford - 1
Forest - 0
Draws - 2
Premier League Matchday 21 fixtures:
Saturday, January 20
14h30: Arsenal v Crystal Palace
19h30: Brentford v Nottingham Forest
Sunday, January 21
16h00: Sheffield United v West Ham United
18h30: Bournemouth v Liverpool
Monday, January 22
21h45: Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers
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