A loss at Preston – but it’s coming together for Reds

WHAT have you made of Forest’s season so far?

Prior to last weekend, it felt as though things were coming together. They were building some momentum and there was a sense that the team were getting accustomed to the way Aitor Karanka wants things to be done.

One poor result does not change that, of course.

Forest’s challenge is to prove that was one minor slip and not something that should alter the bigger picture. Because generally speaking, they are finding an identity and an approach that seems to be working for them.

The 4–2–3–1 formation works well with the players they have at their disposal. It allows the attacking four and the full–backs all to get involved in the final third, while still retaining a decent level of defensive solidity.

The defeat to Preston was a setback – but it was still also only their third defeat of the campaign.

And it was also a match that, on another day, they would have won at a canter, given the chances they created.

If they play to a similar level for the rest of the season – and rediscover the cutting edge they have had in front of goal previously – they will win more games than they lose.

It feels as though Forest are on the right track. Lewis Grabban

WHAT are the expectations among Forest fans this season?

A top–six finish and a serious push for promotion.

The Forest owners are hugely ambitious and are likely to back Karanka again in January.

There is a feeling that they are going for it this season, even if they may have to cut their cloth slightly differently in future, if they do not manage to get themselves over the finishing line this time around.

Either way, Forest want to give it a really good go this season.

Forest fans have dreamed of promotion for a very long time – two decades now. But, while nobody is taking anything for granted at all, there is a sense that this could at least be an opportunity for them to make a strong push for the top–six finish they crave.

DO YOU think they will be confident of getting one over the Rams at Pride Park?

These games are impossible to call, aren’t they? Local derby games are normally packed full of pressure, expectation and drama – as well as an air of total unpredictability.

But what is certainly true is that this feels like the strongest squad Forest have had in some time. They have attacking threat in players like Lewis Grabban, Joe Lolley and Joao Carvalho.

And there is plenty of character; men like Michael Hefele, Ben Osborn, Tendayi Darikwa, Jack Colback, Claudio Yacob, Adlene Guedioura, Lolley and Grabban will all understand the importance of this fixture.

WHO are likely to be Forest’s key men on Monday night?

Lewis Grabban and Joe Lolley. When they are at their best and particularly when they score, Forest tend to win.

If he can stay injury free, Grabban looks to be on course to become Forest’s first 20–goal striker since David Johnson and Marlon Harewood, 15 years ago.

He has 15 already and generally puts chances away when they come his way. He is an old– fashioned poacher, a man with a knack of being in the right place at the right time.

Lolley is simply one of the most exciting, dangerous players Forest have had for some time.

When he runs at opposition defenders with drive and purpose, he is a hard man to stop. He has six goals and six assists.

IS anyone missing through injury/suspension?

Danny Fox (foot) and Michael Dawson (hamstring) are both doubts. Tobias Figueiredo will sit out the last of a three–match ban. DERBY County and Nottingham Forest go head–to–head at Pride Park on Monday night – so we took an in-depth look at the statistics to see how the two teams compare.

The Rams leapfrogged their arch rivals in the Sky Bet Championship table last weekend by winning 1–0 at Wigan Athletic, while Forest lost at home to Preston North End by the same score.

Frank Lampard’s men are fourth in the table, three points ahead of seventh– placed Forest.

Derby have won 11 of their 21 League games, drawing four and losing six.

Forest have won eight, drawn 10 – more than anyone else in the division – and lost only three.

Aitor Karanka’s side have scored 32 League goals, one more than the Rams.

Derby have conceded 24 times (four from outside the penalty area), two more than their near–neighbours (their 22 includes three from outside the box).

That means Forest have a better goal difference (10) than the Rams (seven).

The attacking threat posed by Forest is clear.

In Lewis Grabban, they have the top scorer in the Championship.

Grabban has netted 14 League goals in 20 appearances (including three penalties), one clear of Brent-