Trio of pundits decide how Nottingham Forest will fare without Morgan Gibbs-White against Fulham

Nottingham Forest take on Fulham at the City Ground next in the Premier League, but will be without suspended captain Morgan Gibbs-White

Nottingham Forest will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they welcome Fulham to the City Ground on Saturday, but will have to do so without captain Morgan Gibbs-White.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side are back in Premier League action creeping slowly towards the next international break. This is the penultimate fixture before duties are put on hold again, so it will be important to finish this latest period strongly and extend the gap over rivals who have yet to kickstart their campaigns.

That said, against ninth-placed Fulham it might be a tricky task as due to a red card last weekend, Gibbs-White won't be involved. The influential midfielder slid in on Brighton's Joao Pedro in the closing stages of last weekend's 2-2 draw, which was eventually judged to be worthy of a second yellow card and caused a fracas that saw both managers sent off too.

Of course Forest have plenty of talent to call upon, but how will they fare without their leader? A trio of pundits have had their say, and interestingly have all come to the same conclusion.

First up, Chris Sutton wrote for BBC Sport : "I like Fulham at home, but I am not so sure I like them as much away. Nottingham Forest will miss the suspended Morgan Gibbs-White, which is a bit of a blow for them. This is going to be a good game, but it has draw written all over it."

The former striker predicted a 1-1 stalemate - an idea echoed by ex-defender Mark Lawrenson.

"Fulham really did a job on Newcastle last weekend, this might be a draw though. Nottingham Forest are going well and they’ve still not lost but Fulham have got a bit about them as well and are on a good run," he told Paddy Power.

Finally, Paul Merson was the third to put his neck on the line and state that Saturday's battle will end all square. The only difference is for Sportskeeda he submitted that each team will grab an additional goal, and the match will end 2-2.

"This is a good game. Forest are flying, aren't they? With every game you'd think this would be the one they lose, but they just keep getting results," he began, heaping praise on the reformed relegation battlers. "I don't expect Fulham to get beaten though, I actually fancy them as a side."

In the absence of Forest's playmaker, he dished out a warning about their opponents.

"Emile Smith Rowe is showing his class since joining Fulham. Just like him, even Reiss Nelson, who scored last weekend, could not get into the Arsenal team. It feels like they're on a path to revive their careers. Fulham are one of those teams in the league who can upset the big boys, but I still think they only get a draw here."

Will Forest beat Fulham this weekend? Submit your predictions HERE

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