Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has named his Nottingham Forest team to face West Ham United in this afternoon’s key Premier League clash.
The Reds go into today’s game already guaranteed of European football for next season. It just remains to be determined which UEFA competition they will be in.
There is still a chance Forest will secure the top-five finish required to make it to the Champions League but their fate is out of their own hands. Realistically, they need to win their final two games - starting against the Hammers - and hope other results go their way.
Nuno’s side were left kicking themselves at not clinching three points last time out. They had to settle for a 2-2 draw with relegated Leicester City at the City Ground.
However, the result was put into perspective amid a serious injury to striker Taiwo Awoniyi. The Nigerian collided with a post late on against the Foxes and has since undergone two operations on a serious abdominal injury.
Awoniyi will be at the forefront of his teammates’ minds this afternoon but Nuno has emphasised they must focus on the task in hand. The Portuguese has made one change to his starting XI from last Sunday, with Murillo returning from a hamstring problem to replace Morato.
It means the back line will be made up of Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Neco Williams ahead of goalkeeper Matz Sels. Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare will make up the midfield.
Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolas Dominguez will provide attacking support for forward Chris Wood. The bench will be made up of Carlos Miguel, Morato, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Harry Toffolo, Jota Silva, Ryan Yates, Ramon Sosa, Danilo and Zach Abbott.
Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Dominguez; Wood. Subs: Miguel, Morato, Hudson-Odoi, Toffolo, Jota, Yates, Sosa, Danilo, Abbott.
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