Head coach Steve Cooper has named his Nottingham Forest team to face Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup this evening.
The Reds return to action after the World Cup break with a fourth round tie at Ewood Park. And they will be hoping to pick up from where they left off, having built some momentum prior to the season’s pause.
Forest have already toppled Grimsby Town and Tottenham Hotspur in the competition. Up for grabs tonight is a place in the quarter-finals.
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Cooper makes four changes to the side which started against Crystal Palace in the Reds’ last game before the break. He is without Cheikhou Kouyate, who faces at least two months on the sidelines with a torn hamstring sustained while representing Senegal in Qatar.
Neco Williams comes in at right-back, with Serge Aurier having picked up a knock during the friendly against Olympiacos, while Harry Toffolo replaces Renan Lodi on the left. Joe Worrall and Willy Boly keep their places in central defence, ahead of goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
With Kouyate ruled out, Orel Mangala takes his place in midfield. Morgan Gibbs-White took a knock in the friendly against Valencia, leaving Jesse Lingard to support Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi in attack.
There is no Wayne Hennessey on the bench, with Jordan Smith acting as back-up goalkeeper. Scott McKenna, Steve Cook, Loic Mbe Soh, Lodi, Jack Colback, Lewis O’Brien, Emmanuel Dennis and Sam Surridge make up the bench.
Forest: Henderson; Williams, Worrall, Boly, Toffolo; Freuler, Yates, Mangala; Lingard; Johnson, Awoniyi. Subs: Smith, McKenna, Cook, Mbe Soh, Lodi, Colback, O’Brien, Dennis, Surridge.
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