Nuno Espirito Santo has some big decisions to make as Nottingham Forest prepare to travel south this weekend.
Should the Reds head coach stick with a winning team when he names his starting XI to face Crystal Palace on Sunday (2pm kick-off)? Or should he throw some of his newest recruits straight into the fray for a crunch clash at Selhurst Park?
The meeting in the capital has taken on added spice given the two teams have swapped places in this season’s UEFA competitions. Forest have replaced the Eagles in the Europa League after the south London outfit were deemed to have fallen foul of multi-club ownership rules and were demoted to the Conference League.
Deciding who gets the nod in the capital is an interesting dilemma for Nuno. His team go into the game on the back of their opening-weekend victory over Brentford at the City Ground.
James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson were introduced to the crowd prior to the 3-1 triumph over the Bees. The pair watched from the stands as their new teammates claimed the three points but are in contention for their first minutes for the Reds this time around.
Likewise, striker Arnaud Kalimuendo could feature. The former Rennes man signed for Forest on Monday and is an option up front for the visitors this weekend.
It would be quite the call to omit Chris Wood from the starting line-up, however. The New Zealand international maintained his goalscoring form of last season by bagging a brace against Brentford.
Another option for Nuno to mix things up could be to tweak formation and bring in Igor Jesus. The Brazilian has already demonstrated he can play alongside Wood, if required.
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Both Hutchinson and McAtee have versatility to offer and can operate in a number of positions. Winger Hutchinson can be deployed on either flank or centrally, while attacking midfielder McAtee can step in as a No.8 or a No.10.
Nuno’s choices worked well last time out, though, so he might well be tempted to stick with a winning formula. Wide man Dan Ndoye scored on his debut, Callum Hudson-Odoi was lively on the opposite flank, playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White shone and the midfield pairing of Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson proved effective.
Nuno has solid options to come in, if he decides to utilise them. However, the big decision would be over deciding who should miss out in order to accommodate them.
The Reds are keen to be flexible in their formations this season as they aim to continue on an upward curve. Operating as a back five is a possibility, especially as centre-back is an area where there is particular strength in depth.
However, Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Neco Williams have proved to be a formidable defence ahead of goalkeeper Matz Sels. The latter, along with front man Wood, was named in the PFA Team of the Year earlier this week as Forest’s brilliant 2024/25 campaign was recognised.
Predicted Forest XI to face Palace: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
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