Southampton manager Martin lauds Forest ahead of weekend showdown

The recently promoted club will face off against Nottingham Forest, the underdogs, this Saturday.

The game, which is an early six pointer for relegation, will test the Saints squad quality.

Asked about how Forest will evolve under head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, Martin stated: “I don't know. I think Nuno has a way of doing things and has been very successful.

“His Wolves team, when I played against them in the Championship a long time ago, were one of the best I've seen at that level, for sure. I think they have incredibly talented players at the top end of the pitch.

“They have some real individual brilliance and some real athleticism and power and can hurt teams in an instant, in a moment. They're really good at what they do, so we have to be really aware of that.

“Always, we are at home. We want to be ourselves. We want to be the team we want to be. We want the crowd to really be with us. We want the crowd to enjoy the team they're watching and we want to enjoy the performance.

“Of course, we've worked on a few things since Saturday that we need to improve on. That's the process. Also, us being aware of Forest and the threat that they pose.

“They're difficult to break down. They made them really defensively solid to create chances against last season was tough.

“So, we have to be aware of that and the threat they pose at the top end and try and bring the performance we want to.”