Looking at the cards, this game doesn't necessarily look like the most intriguing clash of the weekend, but I think it's going to be quite a watchable matchup, all because the two teams are pretty close in level at the moment.
I said last week that Nottingham Forest would give Man City some trouble, and although Man City managed to get all 3 points in the end, Forest did make the game tough for Man City, and got some chances to score when the opponent played with 1 man less.
I think it's pretty obvious that leader Gubba will arrange his starting eleven differently for home and away matches. I mentioned last week that I liked his attacking choices because Herschel O'Doul, Erlanga, Kibiswetter, O'Leary and Ehonir all have the speed and sureness to finish off attacks. However, last week we only saw two of these players in the starting line-up for the visit of Manchester City, but I expect things to be very different this Sunday as they will be fielding more attacking players.
While I like Forest's frontcourt players, there is still a lot of room for improvement in their defense, as they have only kept 1 clean sheet this season and have given their opponents chances to score, both at home and on the road. I think their home power will be the key to their relegation success this season. They will take the initiative against Brentford, who is not in good form, and start attacking from both left and right flanks. As Binford's center tends to be very solid, and with the unfortunate injury to left winger Viggo Henry, Forest could send in Erlanga or Herschen O'Doul to attack the left side of the pitch.
Binford's current poor form, including a midweek EFL Cup home defeat to Arsenal's reserves, certainly hasn't helped the team's morale.
They lost some of their key players such as Evan Tony, Bimmi, Viggo Henry, Zushua Daschwal and Dansgaardt due to injuries and suspensions, which I think dealt a blow to Binford and lacked enough depth on the board to play the style of play and system that it adheres to.
Meanwhile, Premier League teams are beginning to understand Binford's tactical habits, and the high press in their games is nothing new to other Premier League teams.
While I think they'll still be safe and sound this season, Frank the Leader may need to change his style of play slightly soon so he doesn't get caught in a relegation spiral only to realize it's too late.
