In Focus: Terrific Taiwo key to Forest's survival bid

Nottingham Forest travel to Chelsea on Saturday as they aim to maintain their Premier League status for next season.

Steve Cooper's side are still involved in the battle to beat the drop, although they sit outside the relegation zone on 33 points after defeating Southampton 4-3 in their last fixture.

A trip to Chelsea would usually be a daunting prospect for a team at the foot of the table but the Blues' poor form will give them hope of achieving a positive result.

And in Taiwo Awoniyi, Forest possess a player who can heap more misery on Frank Lampard's porous defence.

Ahead of Saturday's match, we turn the spotlight on the £17.5million summer signing from Union Berlin.

Hitting form

Awoniyi has enjoyed a fairly productive season, scoring six Premier League goals — the second most for Forest behind Brennan Johnson (eight).

Two of the 25-year-old's strikes came in the vital win over Southampton, a result which has galvanised the East Midlands club's survival bid.

The right-footed forward’s impressive second goal at the City Ground prompted Jamie Carragher to make a comparison with Chelsea icon Didier Drogba.

Carragher said: "He reminded me of Drogba as soon as I saw the goal.

"Absolutely brilliant. I've been in that position as a defender. The turn — and bang. Brilliant."

Lethal trio

Despite the fact he has only played in 24 of his side's 35 Premier League games due to injury, Awoniyi ranks third at the club for both shots (31) and shots on target (11).

Cooper seems to have stumbled upon a winning formula with the Nigerian deployed in a front three alongside Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White — a duo who have created 91 chances between them.

They all started together in Forest's last three Premier League games, where the two-time European Cup winners scored eight of their 34 goals for the season and won six crucial points.

The pace and guile of the two wide men, combined with the presence of Awoniyi as the focal point, has given great balance to the forward line.

A Chelsea defence missing key full-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell may struggle to contain the exciting trio.

Cooper support

Even without a season-ending injury to fellow striker Chris Wood, Cooper would not have ignored Awoniyi's importance to the team when fully fit.

After joining on loan from Newcastle in January, the New Zealand international managed just one goal in seven Premier League appearances.

The Tricky Trees manager said: "He [Awoniyi] would have been key anyway, regardless of the injury to Chris Wood.

"I remember he scored against Southampton in the game he got injured. He'd worked really hard through the World Cup break and had come back during that preparation phase for the return in good shape.

"We'd then seen that when we started playing again, so the injury didn't come at a good time at all."

High expectations

Awoniyi arrived in the Premier League with a solid reputation, having scored goals at a decent rate for Union Berlin during a two-year stay.

In 65 games with the Bundesliga club, he netted 25 times and registered nine assists.

It has taken the ex-Liverpool youngster a bit of time to find his feet in English football but he now looks ready to replicate the impressive form shown in Germany.

And a struggling Chelsea side, who have not kept a clean sheet since the start of April, may aid the Nigerian hotshot in that quest.