gGood evening and welcome to the City Ground as Premier League football returns after a 12 day absence.

Aston Villa and Southampton are in tonight’s other clash, but here in the East Midlands the focus is on Fulham and Nottingham Forest as two of last season’s promoted sides battle it out in the spotlight.

The enforced break may have come at a good time for the hosts, with Steve Cooper given more time to work with his squad after an unprecedented 21 new signings this summer.

In truth, the signs have been reasonably encouraging for Forest, who despite staff upheaval have already shown an ability to blend it into the top flight – despite their 6-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester City of course.

Signings like Willy Boly, Jesse Lingard and Dean Henderson give Cooper’s side true Premier League pedigree, while Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams continue to develop.

That said, three straight defeats for Forest puts them second from bottom. A win here would go a long way to proving that Cooper can turn this happy group of new signings into a team capable of not just surviving, but thriving in the Premier League.

Their task will not be easy tonight, however, against a Fulham side with a hot Aleksandar Mitrovic in mind.

And doubts that the Serbian No.9 would struggle in the top flight after his historic performance in the Championship last season have proven unfounded so far. Mitrovic has six goals in six games to open this season, proving a real handful for every defense he has faced.

The threat he poses up top is powerful, but he is also only the most visible part of a well-trained Fulham side. #

Marco Silva gets a lot out of it Manchester United reject Andreas Pereira, while the deadline day signings of Daniel James and Willian give this Fulham side the kind of depth needed to maintain a level of consistency in the most competitive league in the world. world.

Fulham have two wins and two losses from their last four. That’s got the makings of a cracker

Join us for team news starting at 7 p.m.