THREAD: Interested to see how #nffc deploy tomorrow. Barnsley follow a recent trend; 3 defenders behind 4 midfielders. This makes it difficult to find space in their half They are also very good at attacking the space that appears wide if you play a 4231 on the turnover.

Forest do not have a settled midfield; Samba Sow will be without his partner Ryan Yates. He will need a good understanding with the players around him to cover these vulnerable wide areas, where space will be appearing as the Forest midfielder get forward.

In the earlier match Callum Styles was winning the ball in Barnsley’s half, and breaking into this space. Forest struggled to contain him, and were pulled out of shape. Styles is a class act and will get forward at any opportunity.

Forest might play a 4411. This shape would naturally reduce the space in front of the Forest full-backs which will otherwise become a problem, but also it will pull the Barnsley full-backs onto Forest, giving THEM the potential problem of space appearing in behind them.

If Forest can tempt the Barnsley wing-backs forward and attack the space they leave, the 3 man defence will have to come over, and a problem 3 man defences have is that they are prone to leaving space on the other side as them move. Switches of play could give Barnsley problems.