Midfielder Ryan Yates has been ruled out of Nottingham Forest’s clash with Leeds United on Tuesday night as injuries continue to limit head coach Steve Cooper’s options.
The 25-year-old remains sidelined with the shoulder problem which forced him off in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United before the international break. Meanwhile, right-back Serge Aurier and midfielder Gustavo Scarpa are doubts for the midweek clash, having also missed out against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Reds’ 2-2 draw on Saturday has left them one point above the bottom three going into the midweek match at Elland Road. Leeds are one point below them as the battle for survival proves to be one of the tightest in recent memory.
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“Serge is still recovering. We’ll give him every chance to be available for tomorrow night. But we haven’t decided on that one yet,” said Cooper.
“Apart from that, we’re as we were before the Wolves game. A couple of lads returned at the weekend, and it was great to get them back on the pitch.
“We’ve got a few boys back who have been out injured for a little while, obviously we’ve picked up a few in recent weeks, so it’s a mixed bag in terms of availability. We plan accordingly. We’ll see, we’ll give everybody a chance.
“Yatesy will definitely not be available, because of his shoulder injury. The other guys, we haven’t ruled in or out yet. We’ll see how the land lies tomorrow.”
Striker Taiwo Awoniyi and midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate made their comebacks from long spells on the sidelines against Wolves. Chris Wood, Scott McKenna, Willy Boly, Dean Henderson, Omar Richards and Giulian Biancone remain out of action.
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