Rotherham vs Nottingham Forest preview
Friday 5 April 2019 13:32, UK
Rotherham boss Paul Warne has a host of players returning to their ranks for the Sky Bet Championship visit of Nottingham Forest.
An under-strength Millers were hammered 6-1 at Derby last week but can welcome back Michael Smith (illness), Will Vaulks (suspension) and Clark Robertson (hamstring). Joe Mattock is also free of suspension but is a doubt with illness, while Kyle Vassell may be involved after groin surgery.
Jamie Proctor (hip) is done for the season, but Darren Potter hopes to be fit soon after being absent since December 2017 with an Achilles problem.
Nottingham Forest are still set to be without Sam Byram, Michael Dawson and Michael Hefele. Byram has a knee problem, Dawson is sidelined with a hamstring injury and Hefele is nursing a sore Achilles.
Lewis Grabban will be hoping for a start against his former club having made his return from a five-game absence in last week's win over Swansea. Portuguese defender Tobias Figueiredo has returned to training after suffering a blood clot in his leg, but is still some way from making his first appearance for Reds boss Martin O'Neill.
Opta stats
In all competitions, Rotherham are winless in 23 matches against Nottingham Forest (W0 D11 L12) since a 3-2 win in September 1956.
In the last eight games when Rotherham have hosted Nottingham Forest in a league match, the match has ended as a draw, a run stretching back to May 2003.
Rotherham United are without a clean sheet in 13 home Championship games, the longest run in the division.
Nottingham Forest's Daryl Murphy has scored five goals in his last five league appearances against Rotherham.
Rotherham have conceded more goals than any other Championship side this season (67).
This is Martin O'Neill's first away league match against Rotherham United since January 1995, when he was Wycombe manager, losing 0-2 at Millmoor.
Prutton's prediction
Rotherham have lost a lot of games this season, but they haven't really been thumped in the way they were by Derby last weekend, and you wonder what that will do for their confidence.
Nottingham Forest kept their play-off dream alive with a comeback win over Swansea, but they have shown all season that they can't win back-to-back games. Can they change that on Saturday? I think they just might.
David Prutton predicts: 0-2 (10/1 with Sky Bet)