Nottingham Forest Must Play With Confidence To Overcome Scoring Struggles, Says Pereira

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Nottingham Forest prepare for a key Premier League meeting with Fulham while still struggling in front of goal, with head coach Vitor Pereira determined to keep faith in an attacking style despite a costly lack of finishing touch in both Europe and domestic competition.

Forest enter the Fulham fixture on the back of four frustrating home games at the City Ground in all competitions, where they have produced 88 shots, generated 6.44 expected goals and made 126 touches in the opposition box, yet scored only once during that sequence.

Pereira’s stance on approach remained firm following the 1-0 Europa League defeat against Midtjylland, when Forest created enough openings to take control of the last-16 tie but conceded late to Cho Gue-Sung, leaving next Thursday’s second leg finely balanced despite a clear shot volume advantage.

Forest recorded 22 attempts to Midtjylland’s six in that first leg, posting an expected goals figure of 1.72 compared to 0.69, yet still trailed because of the late strike, which again highlighted the current theme of wasteful finishing rather than a lack of chance creation for Pereira’s side.

Across the season in all competitions, Forest have converted just 8.6% of their shots, the lowest rate among Premier League clubs in 2025-26, but Pereira has dismissed any shift away from the front-foot football introduced since arriving, arguing that performance levels and repetition will eventually improve outcomes.

"I encourage that every day in training because I want to see my players have confidence to shoot, to create, to express themselves and to enjoy what they are doing, he said. In the end, it is about winning.On Thursday, we weremissing the result. With the rain, and against a physical and strong team, the only thing I am not happy about is the result. I believe that to win, you need to play good football, not concede goals and try to score the chances we create. Even if we create only five or six chances in the next match, it is important to score one or two and not concede. But football is about working, working. The players want to score, and sometimes they dont make the best decisions with the last pass or the finishing. I know the way to increase the level is by working. Working is not about speech, it is about gaining confidence."

Forest’s league form at the City Ground mirrors their European frustration, with Pereira’s team currently winless in six Premier League home matches, drawing three and losing three, their longest such run since a 16-game sequence without a top-flight home victory that ended in April 1999.

That run has dragged Forest’s attacking metrics down the table, as they rank in the division’s top 10 for total shots with 373, yet have scored only 28 league goals, with just bottom side Wolves finding the net fewer times, while Forest’s shot conversion rate in the league stands at 7.5%.

Fulham arrive looking to maintain a push for European qualification despite leaving their last two competitions disappointed, with Marco Silva’s side sitting 10th in the Premier League following defeat against relegation-threatened West Ham and elimination at the FA Cup fifth-round stage by Southampton.

Nottingham Forest vs Fulham: injury updates and players to watch

Silva has been without Harry Wilson for those recent losses, after the Wales international suffered an ankle injury during the 2-1 Premier League victory over Tottenham, yet the Fulham head coach suggested that Wilson could return to the squad for the trip to the City Ground.

"Yes, Harry Wilson is going to be, probably, in contention for the game,Silva revealed. As you know, we have another session before the game, and we have to assess one or two players. We still have some doubts if they are going to be ready or not, or fully fit for the game, but Harry Wilson looks as if he is going to be ready."

For Forest, Morgan Gibbs-White remains a central attacking figure, having scored his 25th Premier League goal for the club against Man City, moving ahead of Bryan Roy’s tally of 24, with only Chris Wood, on 37 goals, now ahead in the club’s Premier League scoring list.

Gibbs-White has produced a team-leading 10 league goal contributions this season, with eight goals and two assists, and has also created 44 chances, more than any other Forest player, underlining the importance of the attacking midfielder to Pereira’s approach as Forest search for greater efficiency.

Fulham’s main threat could again be Raul Jimenez, who has scored two goals in the last three Premier League matches and has an outstanding personal record against Forest, contributing either a goal or assist in all four top-flight appearances, with four goals and one assist, averaging an involvement every 65 minutes.

Historically, Fulham have dominated this fixture at Premier League level, winning six of seven meetings and losing once, that defeat coming in a 3-1 Forest home victory in April 2024, while Fulham’s recent league sequence shows four wins and five losses in their last nine matches, including a 1-0 reverse at West Ham.

Fulham’s passing game has been a consistent asset, with only Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool averaging more successful passes per Premier League match this season, as Fulham complete 401 per game, narrowly below their club-high average of 404 from the 2023-24 top-flight campaign on record.

Data from Opta suggests a very even Nottingham Forest vs Fulham contest, with the model giving Forest a 36.5% chance of victory, Fulham a 37.3% chance and the draw outcome rated at 26.2%, underlining how closely matched the sides appear despite differing home and away records.

The match is forecast as a tight Nottingham Forest vs Fulham encounter, with Forest needing better finishing to complement Pereira’s philosophy and protect their Europa League momentum, while Fulham seek a response to recent setbacks and could gain a further lift if Harry Wilson returns to bolster Silva’s options.