Analysis, team news, officials and statistics. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Brentford’s Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.

Brentford head to the banks of the River Trent on Saturday for our penultimate league fixture before the World Cup break.

Our hosts currently prop up the table but have picked up in recent weeks, taking five points from their last five matches, while we can move back into the top half with a victory.

Here’s all the build-up to our trip to the City Ground.

The Opposition

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest were the story of the summer in the Premier League, breaking the top flight record for most signings in a single window.

22 players came through the door at the City Ground as Forest prepared for their first season in the Premier League since 1999.

Ten of those players arrived after the season began so, perhaps unsurprisingly, it has taken a while for Steve Cooper to get fully to grips with the squad at his disposal.

Forest used a League-high 24 different players in the first eight weeks of the season, collecting four points in the process.

However, since then Cooper has been able to get some stability into his selection and the results have picked up.

Eight players have started at least four of Forest’s last five Premier League games, a run which has seen them pick up five points, including all three against Liverpool on their last outing at the City Ground.

Discounting the second half last weekend at league leaders Arsenal, where the Gunners scored four, Forest have conceded just three goals in their last nine halves of football.

Cooper’s side have also benefited massively from the backing of the home fans at the City Ground. All but one of Forest’s nine points have come on the banks of the Trent, as have seven of their eight league goals. The Red have also conceded nine goals in six games at home, compared to 19 in seven away.

Summer arrival from Union Berlin, Taiwo Awoniyi, scored the winner against Liverpool a fortnight ago, his third of the season, leaving him one clear of Brennan Johnson at the top of Forest’s scoring charts. Fellow summer arrivals Lewis O’Brien, Emmanuel Dennis and Cheikhou Koyate account for Forest’s other Premier League goals this term.

At the other end, on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson has made the second-most saves in the Premier League this campaign (53), having faced the second-most shots (212).

The Gameplan

With Nottinghamshire Live’s Sarah Clapson

Sarah Clapson of Nottinghamshire Live gave us the latest on Steve Cooper's side in Hot off the Press: “In the last few games, he has gone with a 4-3-3 and they have looked more solid as a result. They started the season playing as they did last season, with three at the back and wing-backs, but they were far too open, so that is the big chance he has made. They do pack the midfield as well now; they can play five in the middle, bring the two forwards back and play one up front at times if they are really under the cosh.”

Team News

Thomas Frank's pre-match press conference

Ivan Toney serves a one-game suspension for five bookings while Pontus Jansson (hamstring), Thomas Strakosha, Aaron Hickey (both ankle) and Charlie Goode (knee) are all sidelined.

Christian Nørgaard will be a late decision to see whether he will be involved for the first time since August.

Nottingham Forest suffered a blow in training this week with defender Giulian Biancone picking up a knee injury that will rule him out for the rest of the season. The full-back joins Harry Toffolo, Moussa Niakhate (both hamstring), and Omar Richards (leg) on the absentee list while Jack Colback hasn’t featured since September due to a back issue.

The Boss

Steve Cooper

Steve Cooper took over at Nottingham Forest in September last year with the Reds bottom of the Sky Bet Championship table.

Fast forward eight months and Cooper was at Wembley lifting the Play-Off trophy and ending Forest’s 23-year-wait for a return to the Premier League.

That promotion only served to cement Cooper’s reputation as a coach. Pontypridd-born, Cooper spent four years playing in Wales before retiring at 23 to become Wrexham's head of youth.

A UEFA Pro Licence holder at 26, Cooper moved to Liverpool in 2008 and became academy manager in 2011. During his time at Melwood he worked with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He moved to the FA in 2013 as a youth coach educator and coached the England Under-16s in 2014, before making the step up to under-17 level the following year.

He led the Young Lions to the final of the 2017 European Championship, where they lost to Spain on penalties, but they gained revenge later in the year by coming from 2-0 down to beat the same opponents 5-2 in the World Cup final.

With Graeme Potter heading to Brighton in the summer of 2019, Cooper was handed his first club managerial role after six years with the FA, guiding Swansea City to sixth and fourth in his two seasons, losing out to Brentford in the Play-Offs on both occasions.

Opposition View

Steve Cooper told nottinghamforest.co.uk: "It’s going to be a tough challenge, Brentford are a squad that have been together a while and recruited well around that, too. Any side that you face at this level will be a tough challenge, but we have to focus on being the best version of ourselves. They have players that can make a difference in all areas of the pitch so we’ll have to make sure we’re ready for that but we’re playing at home. The last time we were at home was good and we’ve got to try and replicate that."

Last Meeting

Brentford 1 Nottingham Forest 1 (Sky Bet Championship, 20 March 2021)

Match Officials

Referee: Andre Marriner

Assistants: Simon Long and Matthew Wilkes

Fourth official: Peter Bankes

VAR: Lee Mason

Assistant VAR: Lee Betts

Andre Marriner started officiating by chance.

In 1992, he went to a grass roots match as a neutral spectator. When the referee didn't turn up, he was asked to referee it. At the end they paid him £10 for his services, Marriner caught the bug and passed his course in April 1992.

He was appointed to the Football League list of referees in 2003 and was given his first Premier League appointment on 13 November 2004, a 4-0 home win by Charlton Athletic over Norwich City.

In 2005, Marriner was appointed to the Select Group 1 of Premier League referees and, three years later, was added to the FIFA list of international referees.

The Solihull-born referee has taken charge of five Wembley finals including Wigan Athletic's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, Manchester United's Carabao Cup win against Southampton and Arsenal's 2021 Community Shield win over Liverpool.

Tomorrow will be Marriner’s fourth game in charge of the Bees. After an FA Cup win over Luton Town in 2005, it wasn’t until last December’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Chelsea that he took charge of us again.

He then followed that up with our January defeat at home to Manchester United.

Nottingham Forest 22/23

149 fouls – third-most in Premier League

33 yellow cards – joint-most in Premier League

0 red card – joint-fewest in Premier League