Ipswich Town: Nottingham Forest boss Nuno praises Blues ahead of clash

The two sides are facing off in the top flight for the first time since the 1990s, with the hosts in fine form after a red-hot start to the campaign.

Nuno, however, is wary of the threat that Town can pose, especially after their confidence-boosting performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester united.

“They are a good team and compete very well," he said about the Blues in his pre-match press conference. "The energy, the intensity of their actions. It’s going to be very tough. 

“It’s always going to be a big game. I believe that every team, coach and player will go for the game with only one thing in their mind - to win.   

“I believe Ipswich will come here and try. We are on the same page, we’re going to do everything to get a good performance and a good result."

Having been beaten 3-1 by Newcastle United and 3-0 by Arsenal in their last two games, the Reds are looking to bounce back with an improved performance ahead of another daunting run of fixtures.

Nuno has highlighted the defensive side of their game as a particular focus, claiming that the 'first objective' against Ipswich is to secure a clean sheet.

“Of course we are concerned," he explained. "We are concerned when we don’t play good and we don’t perform well," he said.

Morgan Gibbs-White is a doubt to face the Blues tomorrow afternoon (Image: PA)

“But we are always concerned when we win because there are always issues to address and to improve. The only solution that we have is to work on that and this is what we have been doing.

“First we have to give credit to the opponents because they did very well and it’s very difficult to stop them. But there are aspects that we have to look at on the defensive side of the team

“When you have this record in two games, the first reaction we must have as a club is to say we cannot be this kind of team.

"We cannot be a team that concedes too many goals because that gets us far away from winning games and getting good performances.

“It changes the whole dynamic of the game when you score first or you concede first. We’ve been aware of that and the players realise that the first objective is a clean sheet, simple as that."

Nuno also revealed that Forest are sweating over the fitness of three players: Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Elliot Anderson. It remains to be seen if they could feature against Town or whether they'll miss out through injury.

"We have to assess the players and see how they are," he admitted.

"They are improving. Danilo is also improving. Let's see tomorrow how they are, if they can help the team.

"It is the same for Anthony Elanga. He is still being assessed, he came out with a very painful situation but the doctors are looking after him."