Latest Nottingham Forest verdict as Ange Postecoglou’s Reds prepare for Europa League clash at the City Ground
Sarah Clapson is Nottingham Forest correspondent for NottinghamshireLive and the Nottingham Post. She has covered the Reds since 2015, having joined the Post the previous year. Being involved in the coverage of everything from Evangelos Marinakis’ takeover of the club to Forest winning promotion at Wembley, she has followed the team up and down the country, as well as abroad, to report on the latest goings-on.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White (right) against Sunderland(Image: PA)
Ange Postecoglou’s decision to shuffle his pack at the weekend has been the subject of much debate after Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Sunderland.
The Reds head coach utilised his squad and made five changes to his starting line-up at the weekend. Freshening things up on the back of the miles covered for last Wednesday night’s Europa League clash against Real Betis in Spain was at the forefront of his thinking.
The tweaks didn’t pay off, though, as the hosts were beaten 1-0 by the Black Cats. Afterwards, Postecoglou insisted his selection decisions did not affect the end result as Forest paid the price for missed chances. But plenty of supporters have questioned whether there was a need to completely alter a starting XI that had done well in Seville.
It means there is much riding on the Reds boss getting his line-up right when European football returns to the City Ground on Thursday night. FC Midtjylland are the visitors Trentside (8pm kick-off), and Postecoglou will be eager to claim his first victory at the sixth attempt.
Navigating a hectic fixture list is not easy and Forest have a big match away to Newcastle United in the Premier League to come on Sunday. But the Reds cannot take their midweek Danish opponents lightly.
It remains to be seen whether centre-back Murillo is fit for the game. The Brazilian has been sidelined since sustaining a thigh problem against Arsenal during Postecoglou’s first match at the helm.
Get breaking Forest news sent direct to your phone
Join our Nottingham Forest WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the NottinghamshireLive Reds writers.
We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Reds stories. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click ‘Exit Group’. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can click here to read our Privacy Notice.
Morato has generally done well in his countryman’s absence and could get another run-out against Midtjylland. Last week, Postecoglou said Murillo was improving but he will not want to take any risks with the 23-year-old.
Likewise, Douglas Luiz might also miss out again due to injury. He was withdrawn at half-time against Betis with a hamstring issue and was not involved at the weekend.
The Juventus loanee was a standout performer in Seville and the game changed when he was substituted at the break. He was also a big miss against Sunderland.
With Luiz out, Nicolas Dominguez made his return from injury on Saturday. It would be a surprise if the Argentine starts two games in quick succession, though, so it could be one for Ibrahim Sangare on Thursday night.
The biggest dilemma for Postecoglou is how to set up his attack. At the weekend, he opted for Dilane Bakwa, James McAtee and Dan Ndoye in support of striker Chris Wood, but it might be he reverts to largely what worked against Betis.
Wood has been struggling for form while Igor Jesus bagged a brace in Spain and could reclaim his starting spot. It would also come as little surprise to see Morgan Gibbs-White recalled to the XI after he was on the bench on Saturday.
Omari Hutchinson made an impact as a substitute against Sunderland. In any other circumstances, he would have put himself in contention to start the next game but he is not part of Forest’s Europa League squad so will have to wait for that opportunity.
Forest predicted XI: Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Morato, Zinchenko; Sangare, Anderson; Bakwa, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus.
How should Forest line up in the Europa League? Click HERE to have your say