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The Palace win has put us back into the top six, but with three clubs just a point behind us we need another win to ensure we are still in that top six going into the tough run of games on the road.
It will also be a chance to do the double over Forest. Our away game there in September ended in a 2-1 win with both goals coming from Graham Alexander. It proved to be the day we got our first win of the season after having collected only two points from the first four games.
With the run of away games and the international break it will be another four weeks before we next play on the Turf.
Having won promotion last season Forest have found it difficult on their return to the Championship and have been in the lower reaches of the division for most of the season.
It cost manager Colin Calderwood his job and in the first week of January they appointed former Preston and Derby boss Billy Davies who had been out of work for just over a year since losing his job at the other end of Brian Clough Way.
They've had a mixed bag of results since he arrived and are still just above the drop zone in twentieth place and that's with just one point in the last two games following wins against Reading and Preston.
The task for Davies is simple, to keep Forest in the Championship, and finally in the last week or so he's started to strengthen his squad with the arrivals of Isaac Osbourne, Gary McSheffrey and most recently Chris Gunter on loan.
Billy Davies looks certain to include latest recruit Chris Gunter in his starting eleven and if so the young Spurs defender will play on the Turf for the second time this season after being given something of a torrid time by Robbie Blake in the Carling Cup Semi-Final.
This time though he's expected to play at left back in place of Joe Lynch who is struggling with injury. There are also doubts about Ian Breckin, Kelvin Wilson and Paul Anderson but there is good news with the return to fitness of James Perch and Chris Cohen who were both ruled out of the midweek defeat at Watford.
Davies will select from: Paul Smith, Luke Chambers, Wes Morgan, Chris Gunter, Lewis McGugan, Garath McCleary, Guy Moussi, Matt Thornhill, Nathan Tyson, Gary McSheffrey, Joe Garner, Robert Earnshaw, Paddy Gamble, Joe Lynch, Ian Breckin, Paul Anderson, Kelvin Wilson, Isaac Osbourne.
Owen Coyle said some of his players had given him food for thought following the Palace win but I'm not sure he will make too many changes if any at all. That is if everyone is fit. There are doubts about both Christian Kalvenes and Chris McCann whilst substitute Kevin McDonald looks likely to miss out after suffering a back injury whilst warming up at half time.
If Kalvenes doesn't make it then Stephen Jordan will come back in whilst Joey Gudjonsson would probably step in for McCann. Meanwhile despite the clamour for Jay Rodriguez to get a start it looks more than likely that he'll again be on the bench.
If both Kalvenes and McCann are fit we should line up: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Wade Elliott, Graham Alexander, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Martin Paterson, Steven Thompson. Subs from: Diego Penny, Stephen Jordan, Joey Gudjonsson, Alan Mahon, Chris Eagles, Jay Rodriguez.
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The last time Nottingham Forest played at Burnley was back in the 2004/05 season. It was our third home game in a week and we'd lost the other two to Ipswich and then Spurs in the Carling Cup.
Forest arrived under the management of Joe Kinnear and without an away win. Only Rotherham were keeping them off the bottom of the league.
Burnley were without Frank Sinclair, Richard Chaplow and Graham Branch through injury and Ian Moore was nursing his way back via the subs bench. The good news was that young loan signing Gary Cahill from Aston Villa was able to make a debut alongside the returning John McGreal at the back.
We got off to the best start possible with a goal after six minutes although we'd had a scare just before that when Forest hit the bar. Lee Roche played the ball in for Robbie Blake and his angled shot looked to be heading in but defender James Perch made sure for him.
Michael Dawson nearly added an own goal of his own as the Clarets took the game to Forest and we really should have had more to show at half time than just the one goal.
In truth the second half was scrappy and we were thankful to former Claret Gareth Taylor for missing the simplest of chances. But Forest didn't trouble us too much and without ever looking anywhere near our best we ran out 1-0 winners.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Gary Cahill, John McGreal, Mo Camara, Lee Roche, Micah Hyde (Richard Duffy 45), Tony Grant, James O'Connor, Jean-Louis Valois (Ian Moore 41), Robbie Blake. Subs not used: Joel Pilkington, Amadou Sanokho, Matt O'Neill.
Nottm Forest: Paul Gerrard, James Perch (Eoin Jess 31), Wes Morgan, Michael Dawson, Alan Rogers (Gregor Robertson 53), Ross Gardner, John Thompson, Paul Evans (David Johnson 74), Andy Reid, Marlon King, Gareth Taylor. Subs not used: Barry Roche, Jon-Olav Hjelde.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1990/91 | LC | a | 1-4 | 17,897 | Mumby |
| . | . | h | 0-1 | 11,399 | . |
2000/01 | 1 | a | 0-5 | 17,195 | . |
| . | . | h | 1-0 | 17,876 | Payton(pen) |
2001/02 | 1 | a | 0-1 | 24,016 | . |
| . | . | h | 1-1 | 15,085 | Gnohere |
2002/03 | 1 | h | 1-0 | 13,869 | Briscoe |
| . | . | a | 0-2 | 25,403 | . |
2003/04 | 1 | h | 0-3 | 12,530 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-1 | 26,885 | Chaplow |
2004/05 | 1 | h | 1-0 | 11,622 | Blake |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 24,165 | . |
2008/09 | C | a | 2-1 | 20,504 | Alexander(2 1pen) |