Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth’s final Championship run-in fixtures compared | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth’s final Championship run-in fixtures compared | OneFootball

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·12 April 2022

Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth’s final Championship run-in fixtures compared

Article image:Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth’s final Championship run-in fixtures compared

Nottingham Forest are chasing down Bournemouth in the race for the Championship’s second automatic promotion place.

Steve Cooper’s side have gotten within six points of the Cherries with only six games remaining in the season.


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With Fulham running away with the title out in front, it looks like these two teams will be battling it out over the final automatic promotion place in the final weeks of this season.

Here, we take a look at both sides’ respective in-runs to determine who has the better chances of going straight up to next year’s Premier League.

Bournemouth

Scott Parker’s side have only won three of their last seven league games, picking up 12 points in the process.

While the Cherries looked to have the gap to the chasing pack to comfortably go up, recent weeks have seen some cracks appear in the side that has brought Forest into the equation.

Coventry City (A)

Fulham (H)

Swansea City (A)

Blackburn Rovers (A)

Nottingham Forest (H)

Millwall (H)

This run-in raises even further questions over Bournemouth’s chances of finishing 2nd in the table.

The only side they face that isn’t in the play-off battle is Swansea, who themselves have really started to click under Russell Martin in recent weeks.

There are no easy games coming up that Cherries fans could look to as a safe three points.

Quiz: What club do these 25 players from the AFC Bournemouth 2016/17 squad play for now?

1 of 25

Article image:Nottingham Forest and AFC Bournemouth’s final Championship run-in fixtures compared

1. Nathan Ake

Chelsea Man City Liverpool Everton

Perhaps by the end of the season Millwall or Blackburn may be out of the top six race and thus won’t have as much to play for, but as of now both teams are in the thick of it and will be targeting a big win against Parker’s side.

Of course, as well, the penultimate game of the season comes against Forest in what could essentially be a play-off in its own right.

Nottingham Forest

Forest have been superb under Cooper and are even 2nd in the table if only the results from his time with the Reds are taken into account.

But that initial poor run under Chris Hughton could prove costly as a six point gap will be difficult to overturn even if Bournemouth start dropping results.

Luton Town (A)

West Brom (H)

Peterborough United (A)

Fulham (A)

Swansea City (H)

Bournemouth (A)

Hull City (A)

This fixture list also isn’t that much more favourable than Bournemouth’s.

Both play Fulham, who could have the league title wrapped up by the time those games come around which could even up being both teams’ easiest games on paper if the Cottagers phone in the final weeks of the season.

Cooper will be targeting games against West Brom and Hull as the most winnable games, with both struggling for consistent form.

More importantly, Forest have the momentum going into this run-in having won four games in a row and having only lost once in their last 13 league games.

It is all to play for, with that clash on May 3 between the two sides potentially being the biggest game of the entire season.

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