Nottingham Forest return to action tonight at the City Ground against Ipswich Town in the FA Cup, seeking to win again.
Forest need to rekindle their winning spirit ahead of a fascinating game with Manchester City on Trentside this Saturday.
Ipswich have performed well in the FA Cup this season. However, it will be interesting to see where their priorities lay, with the Tractor Boys five points from safety in the Premier League.
Nuno Espirito Santo must make some considerations regarding his team’s selection. He has rotated his team in previous rounds against Luton and Exeter, but tonight may be a very different proposition.
Forest haven’t won in three games in the Premier League. Fulham and Newcastle claimed comfortable wins over the Reds, whilst a 0-0 draw with Arsenal was secured on Wednesday night.
Nottingham Forest tease team selection vs Ipswich
This could be nothing but the biggest hint yet has just been suggested that maybe Espirito Santo is going to ditch his rotation policy against Ipswich tonight with a place in the quarter-final up for grabs.
The club have posted their social media for tonight’s game as they always do on the morning of the game. On the poster is usually images of three players – usually ones who will be involved from the off.
In previous rounds, the images featured Morato, Harry Toffolo, and James Ward-Prowse, with Espirito Santo rotating against the two EFL teams in rounds three and four.
This time, Murillo, Morgan Gibbs-White, and leading goalscorer Chris Wood appear on the club’s poster, which may imply that a strong team will be selected tonight.
Espirito Santo would be spot on to avoid rotating too much
There comes a time when you have to say enough is enough. Okay, Forest could do without any injuries but a win today would set up a one-off encounter against Brighton away for a place in the semi-final at Wembley.
Forest play Ipswich in the Premier League in just under two weeks. As a result, it’s critical to secure a psychological victory against the Tractor Boys this evening, albeit it’s unclear who they’ll face tonight.
Forest have only 11 games left in the Premier League. There is also a two-week vacation on the way, and resting players doesn’t make much sense when so much is at risk.
Hopefully, the flyer is partially correct, and the side selected by the head coach today is the best possible one to advance in the FA Cup this evening.
