Head coach Steve Cooper has named his Nottingham Forest team to face Leicester City in this afternoon’s crunch clash.
It was a memorable evening on the banks of the Trent last time out as the Reds progressed to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup with a dramatic win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. And they will be aiming for another positive result today, against their East Midlands rivals.
The teams are level on points in the table, both on 17, with Forest having climbed to 15th spot after beating Southampton in their last Premier League match. Cooper is having to contend with a significant injury list, however.
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Willy Boly was forced off with an ankle injury against Wolves, while Taiwo Awoniyi has not been involved since the victory at St Mary’s. Jesse Lingard, Moussa Niakhate, Omar Richards, Cheikhou Kouyate and Giulian Biancone remain sidelined.
Cooper makes one change to his side from midweek. Both Boly and Awoniyi miss out on the match squad.
Ahead of goalkeeper Dean Henderson, Scott McKenna comes into the defence to line up alongside Joe Worrall, with Serge Aurier and Renan Lodi at right and left-back respectively. Ryan Yates, Remo Freuler and Orel Mangala keep their places in midfield.
And it is the same front three as in midweek, with Gustavo Scarpa set to play through the middle, supporting Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson. The substitutes’ bench is made up of Wayne Hennessey, Steve Cook, Jack Colback, Lewis O’Brien, Harry Toffolo, Sam Surridge, Emmanuel Dennis, Neco Williams and Alex Mighten.
Forest: Henderson; Aurier, Worrall, McKenna, Lodi; Freuler, Yates, Mangala; Scarpa, Johnson, Gibbs-White. Subs: Hennessey, Cook, Colback, O’Brien, Toffolo, Surridge, Dennis, Williams, Mighten.
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