Friday night under the City Ground lights has a big feel about it as Nottingham Forest prepare to take on Newcastle United.
The Reds could desperately do with a victory before they sign off for the international break. The gap between Steve Cooper’s side and the bottom three has been slashed to two points, and they are without a win in five games.
Ahead of the match, NottinghamshireLive got to watch Forest being put through their paces in training at the Nigel Doughty Academy. Here’s what we spotted...
READ MORE: Forest injury state of play ahead of Newcastle clash
READ MORE: Newcastle injury blow confirmed ahead of Nottingham Forest clash
Or rather, what we didn’t spot…
There was no sign of Brennan Johnson among the training group. The Wales international was forced off in the second half of last Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur with a groin strain.
He was due to undergo a scan to determine the severity of the injury. Head coach Cooper will provide an update in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, but Johnson appeared to be a notable absentee from the session. Likewise Ryan Yates, who played for the Under-21s on Monday afternoon as he builds up his fitness, and Chris Wood, who also came off injured in north London.
Although we didn’t get a close look at the goalkeeping group, it seemed as though there was no Wayne Hennessey out there. Certainly, Adan Kanuric filled in between the posts, with Keylor Navas at the opposite end, during a practice game.
On a positive note
Cheikhou Kouyate and Moussa Niakhate were out on the grass with their teammates. And they seemed to be enjoying themselves; Kouyate sporting a big grin as he walked out.
The pair have been out for a long period of time - Niakhate since August and his teammate since November.
The former was at least on the bench against Spurs, in a positive sign of the progress he is making. Media only got to watch a small part of the training session, but the duo seemed to be in the thick of the action. Meanwhile, although not part of the group, Scott McKenna was spotted chatting by the main building.
Team spirit
Although clearly focused on the task in hand, Forest were in good spirits. Once the work got going, game faces were on, but prior to that there had been plenty of smiles and evidence of strong bonds among the group.
Ahead of facing their former club, Jack Colback and Jonjo Shelvey walked out together and shared a joke. Brazilian trio Felipe, Renan Lodi and Danilo also appeared rin buoyant mood when they emerged onto the grass.
Seemingly happy to have an audience, Serge Aurier turned to the press pack and shouted “welcome, welcome” while gesturing with his hands. And Cooper shared a few laughs with coaches Andy Reid and Alan Tate before the session got going.
Making a point
After a few drills, attention turned to a practice game. Cooper could be heard yelling out “make a difference” and “quicker” as the Reds got stuck in.
The challenge, of course, is to translate that on to the City Ground pitch against the Magpies on Friday night. With question marks over the fitness of some, and others still sidelined, Cooper faces a significant dilemma when it comes to picking his team.
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