Fulham manager Marco Silva has cautioned his squad against losing sight of their game plan as they prepare to face a high-flying Nottingham Forest side and their red-hot striker Chris Wood.
Forest currently occupy third place in the Premier League, just three points behind second-placed Arsenal. After recovering from a heavy defeat to Bournemouth, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team delivered a stunning 7-0 victory over Brighton and edged past Exeter on penalties in the FA Cup fourth round.
Now at full strength, Forest are gearing up for their clash at Craven Cottage this Saturday, and Silva is fully aware that any misstep from Fulham could lead to severe repercussions.
Silva said: “They are really strong on the counter-attack. They are a team that, if the game is completely open and if you are not balanced, they are capable to punish you.
“When you are able to put together, in the same team, Danilo, (Elliott) Anderson and (Morgan) Gibbs-White, and with (Anthony) Elanga and (Callum) Hudson-Odoi, all in the same XI, these type of players, and with the striker (Wood) that is completely on fire, for sure the best season of his career in the Premier League, of course, everything together makes them be really confident.”
Silva also stressed that Forest will face a stern test at Craven Cottage, adding: “But they know as well that they are going to have a tough task here to play against us at Craven Cottage, because we are confident that we are capable to get the result that we want. It’s probably going to be a tight game, two different approaches to the game, we know that it’s going to be like that.
“They like to have that solid and compact block, and after to try to punish the teams in counter-attacks. It is up to us to don’t go out of our identity as a team. We like to be dominant, we like to have the ball and to try to create as much as we can.”
In team news, Silva confirmed that former Brazil international Willian is set to be included in Fulham’s match-day squad. He said: “You have to go day-by-day with Willian to get the best from him.
“We know what he can give us and how we can help him to perform. It is difficult for me to say when we are going to have him at his best, but he is working hard.”
