Billy Davies knows what he is about to face when the Swans arrive at the City Ground on Saturday
Davies tried to sign Swansea City midfielder Pratley during the summer but ultimately the chase proved fruitless with Pratley staying at the Liberty - at least for now.
And Davies comes face to face with his target on Saturday knowing what he - and the Swans - bring to the City Ground with them
"He (Pratley) doesn't need to prove a point," Davies told this is Nottingham. "He knows we liked what we see in him.
"He knows we identified him as the type of player we would like to see at the club.
"But it did not happen and he is getting on with his job.
"We are getting on with ours as well, though, and hopefully we can keep him quiet and pick up the three points.
"He is a danger, there is no doubt about that. He is a very good goal scoring midfield player.
"He makes good runs and we will have to be very careful to monitor that."
But Davies insisted they would not fall into the trap of believing stopping Pratley would be enough to ensure victory.
"There are other threats in the side as well," he said. "We will identify the strengths and weaknesses within their side.
"They have the pace and threat of Sinclair, they have Dobbie who is a good finisher, they have Dyer who can hit you on the counter-attack.
"They have been consistent over recent years," he said."If you look at that team, they have built up a good squad.
"The majority of the squad have been together for a good while.
"They have experience and confidence, through their efforts at the top end of the Championship.
"But we are the same. We will give them respect, but we will also have a right go at them.
"We have a side that has been together for a while as well.
"But when you look at the age of them, in certain areas they have a little bit more experience.
"There is no doubt that both clubs are similar, but that is why both clubs have progressed in a similar fashion in recent years."