Don Goodman issues honest Nottingham Forest verdict ahead of Huddersfield showdown | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has insisted that Nottingham Forest will need to a lot better than they were during the second leg of their play-off semi-final with Sheffield United in this weekend’s showdown with Huddersfield Town.

The Reds would have been hoping to ease their way into the final of this competition after beating the Blades 2-1 in the first leg at Bramall Lane.

However, despite taking the lead at the City Ground last week, Forest were unable to match United’s intensity as goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and John Fleck sent this particular clash to extra time.

Brice Samba stepped up to the mark for the Reds as he produced a crucial stop to deny Iliman Ndiaye before making three further saves in the penalty shoot-out.

Set to face a Huddersfield outfit who have only lost two of their last 28 games in the Championship, Forest will be under no illusions about just how difficult it will be to secure victory in this particular fixture.

Ahead of Sunday’s game at Wembley Stadium, Goodman has shared an honest verdict about Steve Cooper’s side.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast, Goodman said: “Make no mistake, if Nottingham Forest are going to beat Huddersfield Town at Wembley, they’re going to have to play well.

“They’re going to have to play a lot better than they did in that second leg at the City Ground the other night if they want to come through this because Huddersfield will make it hard for them and they do have a couple of individuals with star quality.

“Sorba Thomas for instance, the delivery, those set-pieces they are going to threaten any team.”

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The Verdict

Goodman makes a valid point regarding Forest’s performance levels as they struggled to gain any rhythm in their recent meeting with the Blades.

Given that Huddersfield will also be keen to disrupt the Reds this weekend, Cooper will need his players to produce some superb individual performances.

Providing that Forest are firing on all cylinders, they may edge this particular clash as they did beat the Terriers in the FA Cup earlier this year.

With the Premier League now within touching distance, it is imperative that the Reds maintain their composure at Wembley as they aim to secure promotion.