Vitor Pereira’s Nottingham Forest face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in a key Premier League clash
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira(Image: Getty)
Head coach Vitor Pereira has named his Nottingham Forest team to face Sunderland in this evening’s crunch Premier League clash.
Victory at home to Burnley last weekend made it seven games unbeaten in all competitions for the Reds. A 15-minute Morgan Gibbs-White hat-trick inspired a second-half fightback from the hosts as they triumphed 4-1 on the banks of the Trent.
Igor Jesus provided the final flourish to complete a brilliant turnaround after Forest had trailed at the break. The win moved them five points clear of the bottom three with five games to go.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Get all the Nottingham Forest latest via our Facebook page
It remains tight in the battle to avoid relegation, however. Pereira has stressed his team cannot afford complacency to creep in or take anything for granted.
With West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in action tomorrow, the Reds have an opportunity to put the pressure on tonight. A positive result would increase their breathing space before focus switches to next week’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Aston Villa.
Pereira will be without winger Callum Hudson-Odoi for the run-in. The wide man underwent surgery earlier this week after sustaining a thigh injury against Porto.
WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football’s greatest tournament – Buy the Special Edition today
Centre-back Murillo also misses today’s match and is expected to be absent for next week’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Aston Villa, too. The Brazilian was forced off against the Clarets.
Pereira has made two changes to his starting XI from last weekend. Jair Cunha replaces Murillo and Igor Jesus comes in for Dilane Bakwa.
Jair will line up alongside Nikola Milenkovic in the heart of the defence. Full-backs Ola Aina and Neco Williams will complete the back line ahead of goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson will make up the midfield. Jesus is likely to take up a central role, with Morgan Gibbs-White out wide – in similar fashion to how the Reds started the second half against Burnley.
Omari Hutchinson will join Jesus and Gibbs-White in providing attacking support for front man Chris Wood. The bench will be made up of Stefan Ortega, Morato, Taiwo Awoniyi, Dan Ndoye, Nicolas Dominguez, Ryan Yates, James McAtee, Luca Netz and Bakwa.
Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Jair, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Jesus, Gibbs-White, Wood. Subs: Ortega, Morato, Awoniyi, Ndoye, Dominguez, Yates, McAtee, Netz, Bakwa.
What do you make of the Forest line-up? Click HERE to have your say