Nottingham Forest are in action on Friday night as they take on Sunderland in the North East.
Vitor Pereira’s side know a win would near enough secure their top-flight status, as they’d move onto 39 points.
Opta’s supercomputer expects Nottingham Forest to finish on 42 points, so the data suggests they should survive relegation.
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Ahead of the clash, former Arsenal playmaker and now pundit Paul Merson has given his score prediction.
Paul Merson predicts Nottingham Forest defeat vs Sunderland
Writing in his Sportskeeda column, Merson has predicted Nottingham Forest to suffer defeat at the Stadium of Light.
However, he does still expect the club to survive relegation.
“If Nottingham Forest lose this game, and both Tottenham and West Ham win on Saturday, the relegation battle becomes tight,” Merson explained.
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“Wolves and Burnley are already relegated and with Leeds finding some form, it is between Forest, West Ham and Spurs now.
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It was a must-win game for Forest last weekend against Burnley and they will be confident after that 4-1 win.
“Forest will definitely have one eye on their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa next Thursday. No matter what situation they are in, a European semi-final is a big occasion for this club.”
Merson continued: “I also think Forest will be safe at the end of the season. I can see them winning another Premier League game, but not this weekend.”
Merson’s prediction: Sunderland 1-0 Nottingham Forest
Remarkably, these two sides have only met each other once since 2017, and that clash came earlier this season.
Forest suffered defeat that day, with centre-back Omar Alderete netting the only goal of the game, so they’ll be keen to right that wrong on Friday night.
