Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs Bristol City in FA Cup Fourth Round Replay: Champions League Winner Set to Start

Callum Hudson-Odoi’s equalising goal against AFC Bournemouth on Sunday secured valuable point for Forest in their fight for Premier League survival. The attention of Nuno Espirito Santo’s team will now switch to the FA Cup, where they play Championship side Bristol City in a fourth-round replay. The away tie at Bristol City was a dour 0-0 draw, with Forest registering only two shots on target. The winner of this tie will play Manchester United at home on Wednesday, February 28. Here is the Nottingham Forest predicted lineup for this upcoming replay.

Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs Bristol City in FA Cup Clash

Watch: Football Fans Are Being Lied To

How Nottingham Forest Have Lined-up Recently

Matz Sels made his Forest debut immediately in the 1-1 draw against AFC Bournemouth on Sunday, February 4. The Belgium shot stopper was solid and will keep his place in the upcoming Premier League matches, ahead of USA international Matt Turner.

However, he will be ineligible for this game due to FA regulations stipulating that “all players must have been eligible to play in the original tie in order to play in a match which is replayed, postponed or ordered to be replayed.”

Sels was signed on deadline day, six days after the away game at Bristol City, meaning he will be unavailable. This also rules out Giovanni Reyna and Rodrigo Ribeiro, who joined the club on January 31 and February 1, respectively.

Neco Williams returned to the right-back position against Bournemouth, replacing Gonzalo Montiel. Meanwhile, Nuno Tavares was once again preferred to Harry Toffolo at left-back.

Murillo and Andrew Omobamidele have been ever-present in the last five matches at centre-back. However, the return of Moussa Niakhaté from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Felipe’s return to fitness complicates Nuno’s centre-back selection in the upcoming matches.

Nico Dominguez and Ryan Yates started as the two defensive midfielders against Bournemouth, filling the void of Orel Mangala, who left to join Lyon on loan on February 1 until the end of the season.

Anthony Elanga returned to the starting lineup in the last match, while Callum Hudson-Odoi started on the opposite flank, scoring Forest’s only goal. Morgan Gibbs-White has started the last two matches in his preferred number 10 role, and against Bournemouth, he started behind the Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

Nottingham Forest Recent Form and Tactics

The clean sheet that Forest picked up in the return tie against Bristol City remains the only one of Nuno’s nine matches in charge. In the away tie, Forest restricted Bristol City to zero shots on target, and they will be looking for a similar level of control in this game.

Under Nuno, Forest have enjoyed a larger share of possession, especially in away games. Against Bournemouth, they had 56%, and against Brentford on January 20, they had 52%. This is a stark comparison to Steve Cooper’s last two away games in the Premier League, where the Tricky Trees were restricted to 32% and 36% against Wolves and Fulham, respectively.

Increased possession to assert greater control and dominance all over the pitch looks to be the major tactical shift under the new manager. The game against Bristol City will be no different, and although he will be tempted to make rotations to his side due to the volume of matches in recent weeks, the Portuguese head coach will want a front-footed display by the Reds in front of an expectant home crowd.

Nottingham Forest Injuries to Consider vs AFC Bournemouth

Nuno confirmed in his press conference that Chris Wood “is going to be out for some time” with a hamstring injury. Losing Wood will be a “big blow” for Forest, meaning they may have to call upon the services of AC Milan loanee Divock Origi, who has not played for the Reds since Nuno’s first game in charge against Bournemouth on December 23. Nuno said: “Divock is probably available, lets see. He has started training, and he is much better. We have another session tomorrow. We will see whether Divock can give us a hand.”

The Belgium international struggled to establish himself with the Rossoneri, scoring only twice in 27 appearances in Serie A last season. Despite a tough spell in Italy, Origi has provided some crucial goals over the years, including a second goal against Tottenham Hotspur in Liverpool’s 2019 Champions League final victory.

Given that Awoniyi has only returned from a long-term injury, Origi may start the match to ease the burden on Awoniyi, especially with a Premier League match against Newcastle United on Saturday, February 10. In the reverse fixture and the second game of Nuno’s tenure, Forest stunned St James’ Park with a Chris Wood hat-trick which propelled his side to a 3-1 victory, the first under their new manager.

Nuno has expressed disappointment that the new signings are unable to play in the replay but declared that he is “happy with the way they are working”.

Cheikhou Kouyate and Moussa Niakhaté have both returned to the squad and will be available for selection against Bristol City. Ola Aina, Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangaré remain absent due to their participation in the semi-finals of AFCON.