Nottingham Forest should feel encouraged amid poor Sunderland stats pre-Stadium of Light showdown
Nottingham Forest face a crucial match for their survival ambitions on Friday as they prepare to take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
For many, winning the tie seems a near-impossible task, with the Black Cats on the up and pushing for European football.
On top of this, Sunderland have one of the best home records in the division this season, and have only lost three games at the Stadium of Light.
However, the Reds could easily pull off an unlikely victory and pull away from the relegation zone once more.
Many stats show that Forest can claim three points against Sunderland ahead of their visit.
Key stats ahead of Sunderland vs Nottingham Forest
According to BBC Sport on 23 April, the travelling Forest fans have plenty of reasons to feel encouraged ahead of the tie.
First of all, Sunderland have a pretty weak record at the Stadium of Light against Nottingham Forest in the league.
| Nottingham Forest's recent league record at the Stadium of Light | |
| Games played | 8 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Losses | 3 |
In their last eight meetings up north, the Reds have won three, including their last clash in 2017, which ended 1-0.
Sunderland have also never won a Premier League game on a Friday night, drawing two and losing one.
On top of this, Forest have rarely allowed a newly-promoted Premier League side to complete the double over them, with this only ever happening three times in their history.
Therefore, there are plenty of stats that indicate Forest could get a result on Friday and move further away from the relegation zone.
Can Premier League survival help Nottingham Forest keep its biggest stars?
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider that there is big-money interest in Morgan Gibbs-White this summer.
The England international has been one of the best players in the division in recent weeks, and scored a sensational hat-trick against Burnley on the weekend.
As a result, Forest are set to do everything in their power to keep hold of the midfielder, after previously rejecting Tottenham Hotspur’s interest last year.
Therefore, Premier League survival could be paramount to this, as a drop into the second tier would make a summer exit inevitable for Gibbs-White.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Forest will reject any and all proposals for the midfielder, or if an offer too good to turn down will present itself.