A rock-solid defence has been the cornerstone of Nottingham Forest’s Champions League charge this season, but Nuno Espirito Santo may have a problem to solve this weekend.
The Reds have reaped the rewards of having a settled back line this term. Goalkeeper Matz Sels is in the running for the golden glove award, having registered his 13th clean-sheet of the Premier League campaign with Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Head coach Nuno has generally stuck with the same four-man defence ahead of Sels. Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Neco Williams have pinned down their places in the starting XI.
But such consistency might be put to the test when Forest make the trip to face Aston Villa on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off). It could be that Nuno has a big decision to make regarding his team selection.
The Reds are sweating on the results of a scan on full-back Ola Aina. The Nigerian sustained a suspected calf problem against United and was forced off in the final minutes of the first half.
Forest will have everything crossed the issue is not a serious one, although crutches were seen next to Aina’s spot in the dressing room post-match. If he is not fit for Saturday, there is a question mark over how the Reds would line-up without him.
Alex Moreno replaced Aina in midweek and slotted in seamlessly - no mean feat given he has had limited game time in recent months. He would be the obvious choice to step in on the left - with Neco Williams switching to the right, as he did on Tuesday - if Aina is sidelined for any length of time
However, the Villa loanee is ruled out of the weekend as he is not permitted to play against his parent club. That leaves Harry Toffolo and Eric da Silva Moreira as the full-back options available to Nuno in the West Midlands, if he is without Aina.
Neither player has had many minutes this term. Left-back Toffolo has featured five times, with his last appearance coming in February’s FA Cup win over Exeter City. Right-back Moreira’s last run-out was also in that game, and the 18-year-old very much remains a raw prospect.
Morato has played at left-back before, for former club Benfica, so could do a job if required. However, it is not his favoured position.
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Nuno could switch to a back three at Villa Park and deploy wing-backs. He brought on Morato, in place of Danilo, at the same time as Aina went off on Tuesday evening in a bid to tighten things up as the hosts were coming under pressure. It could be that he goes down that path from the off this weekend.
Having players with versatility in his squad will be useful as Nuno contemplates his line-up. Williams’ flexibility of being able to operate on both flanks is incredibly useful, while midfielders Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez can fill in out wide.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is expected to be available for Saturday after missing the United match for personal reasons. Both he and Anthony Elanga can help out with defensive duties, and will no doubt be required to do so whatever part they play against Villa. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether striker Chris Wood has recovered from a hip problem to feature.
Three ways Forest could potentially line up if Aina is ruled out of Saturday
Option one: Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Toffolo; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.
Option two: Sels; Moreira, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.
Option three: Sels; Morato, Milenkovic, Murillo; Moreira, Yates, Anderson, Williams; Elanga, Awoniyi, Gibbs-White.
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