Given their dominance during the second half of the campaign, many people would have envisaged Fulham having already wrapped up the second-tier crown by this stage.
However, a combination of inconsistency and the form of their rivals have contributed to Marco Silva’s side still having work to do, the latest setback being Bournemouth’s 97th-minute equaliser in their top-two battle at the weekend.
In the grand scheme of things, the goal has the potential to be more important to the Cherries than Fulham, but the West Londoners still have the chance to seal top spot in front of their own supporters.
If Fulham win on Tuesday and Bournemouth are unable to defeat Swansea City, they will have an unassailable lead at the summit, while just one more goal will take them to 100 Championship strikes for the season.
Aleksandar Mitrovic took his tally to 41 against Bournemouth, with the Serbia international making it six from as many games during a crucial stage of the campaign.
Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper will know that Bournemouth’s late goal against Fulham on Saturday has the potential to prove decisive in the race for automatic promotion.
Nevertheless, the East Midlands outfit should remain focused on their own results and still treat a top-two finish as a bonus, the main aim still being on a top-four spot so that they play the second leg of any playoff semi-final at the City Ground.
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Forest had to show a different side to their game on Saturday, scoring just the one goal against struggling Peterborough United and holding on during the second half of that fixture.
Their last two away displays have been below expectations and although they still possess the fourth-best return on their travels in the division, they need to find more consistency.
Losing Keinan Davis for the rest of the regular season through injury is a significant blow, but his replacement Sam Surridge has netted in his last two starts
