NOTTINGHAM FOREST boss Dougie Freedman has been impressed with the quality of Middlesbrough’s signings under Aitor Karanka, and regards the Teessiders’ squad as one of the strongest in the league.

Boro head to the City Ground today to take on a Forest side who have been resurgent since Freedman replaced Stuart Pearce.

Boro secured a convincing 3-0 win when the two sides met at the Riverside on Boxing Day, but since Pearce's departure, Freedman has guided Forest to five wins from seven games.

Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Charlton was a surprise slip up, but with a place in the play-offs still an outside possibility, Freedman is confident his players are capable of getting back to winning ways tomorrow.

“It will be a tight game, but it’s a winnable game of football if we approach it right,” said the Forest boss, whose initial contract only runs to the end of the season. “Physically, we’re in good shape – mentally we need to make sure we approach the game with the belief that we can go and win it.

“They (Middlesbrough) play in a very structured way. They’ve got very good individual players, and they’ve spent a lot of money very wisely on young and hungry players, so we’ve got to make sure that we are there until the 95th minute.

“The game will probably be won between the 80th and 90th minutes. We need to make sure we’re still in the game at that time, and that we are the team with the momentum in the last ten because that will be the key to it.

“We need to use our experience at home, and hope that the fans are right behind us.”