Even before Chris Wood suffered an injury scare, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was facing a selection dilemma for Nottingham Forest’s upcoming FA Cup clash.
The Reds return to action from the international break on Saturday with a trip to face Brighton and Hove Albion in the quarter-finals of the competition (5.15pm kick-off). A place in the last four and a trip to Wembley will be on the line at the Amex Stadium.
But Nuno admitted a couple of weeks ago that some players faced a race against time to be back for the journey to the south coast. The Portuguese conceded the air miles racked up by a few of Forest’s internationals would be taken into consideration when picking his team.
Wood, Murillo, Ramon Sosa and Ola Aina were specified as having question marks against their availability when Nuno spoke earlier this month. There is now further doubt about Wood after the striker hurt his hip when playing for New Zealand on Monday, while late calls may be made over some of his teammates.
On Brazilian Murillo’s situation, Nuno had said: “He plays Tuesday. Tuesday night for UK time. I think it's going to be a long trip. Not only him, (Ramon) Sosa, Chris (Wood), we have some issues about Ola also.
“But I think he (Murillo) is going to be here by Thursday. It's going to be tight (for Brighton), but it's possible.”
On Aina playing for Nigeria, Nuno added: “It's the travelling (that is the problem). It's a tough one at Brighton. We need everybody.”
Wood was due to undergo scans before he left his homeland to return to the UK. He will then be assessed by Forest upon his arrival, although the man himself has said he is hopeful the problem is not a serious one.
It might be that the 33-year-old was not in Nuno’s thinking to start against the Seagulls anyway. Taiwo Awoniyi has been in the XI for each of the previous rounds in the cup and may well get the nod regardless of his fellow forward’s fitness.
Nuno has tended to shuffle his pack in the cup, stating he likes to “reward” players who have struggled for game time in the Premier League with some minutes. However, he went with a relatively strong line-up in the fifth round triumph over Ipswich Town. It seems likely his team this weekend will be along similar lines, with a mix of first-team regulars and those who have found themselves down the pecking order.
It remains to be seen whether Carlos Miguel has recovered from the hamstring injury which has sidelined him since February. Nuno had previously identified the Brazilian as his cup goalkeeper, but it was No.1 Matz Sels who ended up coming to the rescue in penalty shootout wins over the Tractor Boys and Exeter City in his teammate’s absence.
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Given the quick turnaround facing Murillo when he returns from being on duty with Brazil, Morato could get the green light to start in central defence on Saturday. And if Aina is struggling after his exploits with Nigeria, Neco Williams could switch to the right and Alex Moreno could step in at left-back if required.
Midfield always presents the biggest area of debate for the Reds. Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez have been in great form of late and may well keep their places. Ibrahim Sangare, Ryan Yates and Danilo provide Nuno with options, though.
If Nuno plumps for a strong attack to support Awoniyi, then Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi could start. Given the concerns about Paraguay international Sosa potentially linking up with the squad again only a few days before the clash, it would make sense for Forest to go with their best attacking set-up.
Forest predicted XI to face Brighton: Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Morato, Moreno; Dominguez, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.
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