Head coach Steve Cooper has named his Nottingham Forest team to face Valencia in tonight’s friendly.
A return to competitive action is just around the corner for the Reds. They round off their World Cup break with a match against the Spanish outfit at the Mestalla Stadium this evening.
Cooper’s side have already faced Stoke City, Atromitos and Olympiacos as part of their preparations for the season’s resumption. Tonight’s game marks their final run-out before next week’s trip to face Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup, followed by the Premier League’s return.
READ MORE: Follow the action live from the Mestalla Stadium
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Neco Williams, Wayne Hennessey and Remo Freuler had not been part of the recent training camp in Greece, following their involvement in the World Cup. The trio had been on different individual programmes, whereas Johnson started against Olympiacos.
None of the returning international players are in the starting XI, however, with Williams understood to be absent for personal reasons. Dean Henderson starts in goal, with a back four of Harry Toffolo, Steve Cook, Joe Worrall and Renan Lodi ahead of him.
Orel Mangala starts in the holding midfield role, being joined by Ryan Yates and Lewis O’Brien in the centre of the pitch. Morgan Gibbs-White will take on the No.10 role, with Taiwo Awoniyi and Jesse Lingard up front.
The substitutes’ bench is made up of Jordan Smith, Wayne Hennessey, Loic Mbe Soh, Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Loic Bade, Gustavo Scarpa, Brennan Johnson, Emmanuel Dennis, Sam Surridge.
Forest: Henderson; Toffolo, Cook, Worrall, Lodi; Mangala, Yates, O’Brien; Gibbs-White; Awoniyi, Lingard. Subs: Smith, Hennessey, Mbe Soh, McKenna, Boly, Bade, Scarpa, Johnson, Dennis, Surridge.
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