The latest Nottingham Forest news as the Reds go to Villa Park hoping to build on their much-needed triumph against West Ham.
Aston Villa may have stabilized the listing ship with their much-needed victory over Fulham, but the competition for a top-four finish has heated up in the last month or so.
Manchester United’s resurgence since their loss to Nottingham Forest, combined with the return of Tottenham Hotspur’s key players, has resulted in Villa’s wobble coming at a horrible moment.
While Unai Emery hopes his team can build on their 2-1 win at Craven Cottage with another victory over the Reds this weekend, the Spaniard is aware that he will be missing some key players.
The situation in defence is even more acute. Centre-back Diego Carlos is nursing a hamstring injury and won’t be ready until March. It’s a similar timescale for Ezri Konsa who is out with a knee sprain, while Tyrone Mings has been out long-term and may not appear again this season.
While Forest are concerned about Taiwo Awoniyi’s workload – he was substituted in the second half against West Ham – Gonzalo Montiel is also in doubt, and Chris Wood is definitely out.
In comparison to Villa’s current state of things on the team news front, that’s a relatively decent position, with the Claret and Blues being hit by not one, but two significant knee injuries.
Midfielder Boubacar Kamara was injured against Manchester United earlier this month, giving Emery a difficult decision over who should start with Douglas Luiz in the double pivot.
The situation in defence is far more serious. Diego Carlos, the centre-back, is nursing a hamstring problem and will not be fit until March. Ezri Konsa is also out with a knee sprain, and Tyrone Mings has been gone for a long period and may not return this season.
Up front, Jhon Duran has been out for several weeks with a hamstring injury, leaving Villa reliant on Ollie Watkins.
