Match preview - Wolves v Nottm Forest
Everything you need to know as west meets east in a Midlands derby.
Two underachieving clubs weighed down by glories of years past go head to head at Molineux looking to revive their faltering promotion campaigns.
Both Wolves and Forest have picked up of late having made underwhelming starts to the season but sit 14th and 15th respectively, separated by a point.
Of the two clubs directly below them (Fulham and Leeds) and the four sides above them (Blackburn, QPR, Reading, Brentford) in the Championship table, each and every one has changed their manager this season.
Kenny Jackett and Dougie Freedman, then, are blessed with patient chairmen (actually Wolves don't have a chairman, but you get the idea).
On a Friday night in front of the TV cameras this has the potential to be a thoroughly decent contest.
And to be fair it wouldn't take much to improve the entertainment levels at Molineux. Wolves' last two games on home soil have ended goalless.
Kevin McDonald has recovered from the kick to the shin that forced him off in the final minutes of the Rotherham win.
Kortney Hause (hamstring) and Emiliano Martinez (thigh) are still weeks away from a return, but aside from them and long-term injury victim Nouha Dicko, Kenny Jackett has a full squad to choose from.
The boss's chief selection dilemma revolves around whether to play Benik Afobe, Adam Le Fondre, or both.
But in defence and midfield Wolves are likely to be unchanged.
Forest boss Dougie Freedman, formerly of this parish, has Jack Hobbs available again after suspension. Although one-time Wolves target Matt Mills and one-time Wolves player Michael Mancienne kept a clean sheet in his absence in a 3-0 win over Fulham last week.
Another ex-Wolves man, Dorus De Vries, will be in goal, although a standing ovation from the home fans is unlikely. In July the Dutchman said he regretted ever moving to Wolves.
LIKELY LINE UPS
Wolves (4-4-1-1): Ikeme; Iorfa, Batth, Ebanks-Landell, Golbourne; Henry, McDonald, Price, Graham; Afobe; Le Fondre. Subs: McCarey, Doherty, Coady, Byrne, Edwards, Ojo, Holt.
Forest (4-4-2): De Vries; Lichaj, Mills, Hobbs, Pinillos; Mendes da Graça, Vaughan, Lansbury, Osborn; Castro Oliveira, O'Grady. Subs: Evtimov, Mancienne, Wilson, Trotter, Tesche, Williams, Blackstock.
FORM GUIDE
After their win at Rotherham, Wolves are now unbeaten in four. Their home form, though, is dreadful this season.
Their last Molineux victory came at the start of October against Huddersfield, one of just two home wins in 2015/16.
Forest have won three of their last four to pull clear of the relegation zone.
Successive home victories over Fulham and Brentford, scoring six goals in the process, have relieved some pressure on Freedman and got the Reds looking up the table rather than down.
MATCH ODDS
Despite not winning at home for two months Wolves are favourites for this one, generally at 5/4, with Forest at 5/2.
Afobe is 9/2 favourite to score the first goal. Although given he may not even be on the pitch that might not be advisable.
Jordan Graham had a fair amount of decent efforts on target in his first three Wolves appearances and you can get a handsome 75/1 on him to score first and Wolves to win 2-0.
Michael Mancienne has never scored in football. Ever. Well, he probably netted a couple against his mates in the park, but in professional football? Nadda, nothing, zilch, in 227 appearances and counting.
Those of a particularly pessimistic Wolves disposition, and there are a few out there, will nevertheless fancy him to score the only goal of the game against his former club at 150/1.
November 22, 2014 (Championship), Wolves 0 Forest 3. A miserable afternoon for Jackett's team who were in the middle of a six-game losing slump. Wolves registered one shot on target, while Forest scored three in 18 second half minutes through Britt Assombalonga, Matty Fryatt and Henri Lansbury.
November 24, 2012 (Championship), Wolves 1 Forest 2. The curse of the ex-player struck Stale Solbakken's beleaguered Wolves as Adlene Guedioura predictably fired a 25-yarder into the net for the winning goal. Bjorn Sigurdarson and Billy Sharp had exchanged strikes to make it 1-1 at half time.
August 30, 2008 (Championship), Wolves 5 Forest 1. What a day. Wolves tore through Forest with a blistering display. The first half in particular was one of the most impressive and one-sided seen in recent years at Molineux as Mick McCarthy's champions-elect raced into a 4-0 lead. Michael Kightly scored twice and was, quite frankly, unplayable.
November 6, 2004 (Championship), Wolves 2 Forest 1. Managerless Wolves beat Joe Kinnear's Forest with goals from Kevin Cooper and Mikkel Bischoff in front of 27,000 at Molineux.
November 23, 2002 (First Division), Wolves 2 Forest 1. Future Wolves loanee Marlon Harewood gave Forest the lead before two goals in four minutes from Kenny Miller and Dean Sturridge earned Dave Jones' side all three points and ended Forest's 11-game unbeaten run.
Kenny Jackett: "You have to be good enough to get them (the fans) believing. If we can do that, this little run we have, we want to turn the home advantage in our favour.
"You look through their team and they have good players, like most Championship sides, they are no different, they're well balanced and they have good players.
"It's been a while (since we won at home).
"We've got to make sure very single one of us busts a gut to be successful, engage that crowd with passion, enthusiasm and, in the end, quality."
Dougie Freedman: "Wolves will be a very hard team to break down. They get the ball wide and cross it.
"But we've done a lot of work on it. We feel if we can have the right application and start the right way, it's a winnable game.
"There have been difficult moments. But I am a realistic person and I understood it would take time to gel and I think we are gelling right now.
"If we want to be in the top six by the end of the season, we need to be in the top half by Christmas or the New Year."
THE REF
Keith Stroud (Hampshire). Something happened to Stroud on Halloween to turn him into one of England's scariest referees. Since then he's sent off five players in eight games, having only dismissed one all season beforehand.
Stroud's last Molineux visit was for Wolves' 3-1 win over Blackburn last August. He dished out seven yellow cards and gave a penalty for the visitors when Danny Batth fouled Jordan Rhodes.
