Forest v Swans Preview

Forest welcome the football men of Swansea to the City Ground today, for a game that will no doubt prove that £1.5m for a creative midfielder would have been money well spent. Yes folks, Darren Pratley makes his first appearance of the season on Trentside, where the scene is set for the him to show precisely why we should have put in a respectable bid to ensure the best attacking midfielder in the division was playing for us this season. No doubt Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins will be sat in the directors box today, understandably taking the piss out of the Forest hierarchy. But enough about that, there's the not insignificant matter of a football match to be played and the chance to extend a remarkable home record in the league for matches unbeaten. If Forest avoid defeat today, then it means the we have gone a whole year without loosing at the City Ground. That's a fact that has by and large gone unnoticed, so thanks to Galaxy42 for pointing that out.

Swansea have made a decent start to the season under Brendan Rodgers and currently occupy 6th place in the table on 12 points. They are unbeaten at home so far, but have lost on their travels to Leeds, Hull and Norwich. Although Forest are yet to register a win on home soil so far this term, we can boast the fact that we are unbeaten in any of our last 6 league games.

Billy Davies could be without striker Robert Earnshaw and central defender Kelvin Wilson for this encounter, with both struggling for fitness ahead of the game. Although David McGoldrick came through a reserve game unscathed in midweek, it's thought this game could be a little early for his return from a shoulder injury.

This is the ideal game for young Raddy to showcase his skill and finesse. He's had a quiet start to the season so far, but if he can find the dazzling form he showed in spells last year, then he will be more than a handful for the visiting Swans.

Craig Beattie looks like having to sit this one out with a calf injury, as well as Gorka Pintado with a dodgy shoulder. Dutch midfielder Ferrie Bodde could also miss out with a knee problem. Tom Butler and Angel Rangel are both out of contention with thigh injuries.

Who else was I going to pick? Top goal scorer for them with 3 this season and the driving force behind everything they do. Sit back and watch (or wince) and see what we should have had.

There's been 56 league meetings between the teams, in which Forest just edge it with 23 victories, 13 draws and 20 defeats. We managed to do the double over the Swans last season, with 1-0 wins in both games.

I think this is where we may come unstuck today. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm going for a 2-1 defeat. Sorry folks!

28/9/10. The Blunts (h). KO:7.45pm.

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