Cardiff City will welcome Nottingham Forest to the Cardiff City Stadium with three points at stake in the EFL Championship.This matchay 39 fixture will pit eighth against 17th. Cardiff City have garnered 58 points from 38 games to date and are still harboring hopes of securing a playoff spot.Nottingham Forest, by contrast, will need all three points to relatively secure their safety in the division, as they are just seven points above the dropzone.Cardiff's last fixture before the international break came in a 1-0 victory away to Swansea City. An early goal by Aden Flint gave the visitors all three points in the Welsh derby.Nottingham Forest played out a 1-1 draw with Brentford. A second-half goal by Filip Krovinovic canceled out a first-half penalty from Ivan Troney.✌️Two days until The Reds are back 🔴🌳 #NFFC pic.twitter.com/cn40DC2YmL— Nottingham Forest FC 💙 (@NFFC) March 31, 2021Cardiff City vs Nottingham Forest Head-to-HeadThe two sides have met on 58 occasions in the past and Cardiff City have an overwhelmingly better record.The Bluebirds have 31 wins and 11 draws to their name, while Forest were victorious on 16 previous occasions.Their most recent meeting came in January. A third-minute strike by Lyle Taylor was enough to give Nottingham Forest all three points in a rescheduled fixture.Cardiff City have been in fine form over the last few months, with just one loss recorded in their last 14 league games. The Reds, by contrast, are without a win in six consecutive Championship games.Cardiff City form guide: W-D-L-D-WNotthingham Forest form guide: D-L-D-L-LCardiff City vs Nottingham Forest Team News Cardiff City The hosts have three players ruled out through injury. Joel Bagan is expected back in May from a shoulder injury. Joseph Bennett (ACL) and Souleymane Bamba (cancer) have both been ruled out for the season.There are no suspension concerns for manager Mick McCarthy.Injuries: Joel Bagan, Joseph BennettCancer: Souleumane BambaSuspension: NoneThe #Bluebirds return from the international break to host @NFFC on Friday afternoon!📺 @CardiffCityTV’s matchday coverage options ⬇️#CityAsOnehttps://t.co/sjaSo5o3NN— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) March 29, 2021Nottingham Forest The visitors have three players sidelined by injury. Harry Arter (calf), Joe Lolley (hamstring) and Joe Worrall (broken rib) are all unavailable for selection.There are no suspension worries for Forest.Injuries: Harry Arter, Joe Lolley, Joe WarrallSuspension: NoneCardiff City vs Nottingham Forest Predicted XI Cardiff City Predicted XI (3-4-3): Dillon Phillips (GK); Ciaron Brown, Aden Flint, Sean Morrison; Joe Ralls, Marlon Pack, Will Vaulks, Tom Sang; Harry Wilson, Kieffer Moore, Leandro BacunaNottingham Forest Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Brice Samba (GK); Gaetan Bong, Scott McKenna, Tobias Figueredo, Cyrus Christie; James Garner, Cafu; Alex Mighten, Filip Krovinovic, Sammy Ameobi; Lewis GrabbanCardiff City vs Nottingham Forest PredictionCardiff City have form in their favor. The international break might have robbed them of their momentum, but the hosts still have ambitions of securing a top-six position.Games involving Nottingham Forest tend to be low-scoring affairs and another tight match could be on the cards. We are predicting a narrow victory for Cardiff City.Prediction: Cardiff City 1-0 Nottingham Forest