When Nottingham Forest hosts Everton at the City Ground on Saturday, they’ll be looking to resume their winning ways.
The Reds’ most recent match ended in a 3-2 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion, their second straight loss. With just one victory in nine games, head coach Steve Cooper’s position has been called into question.
This season, Forest has suffered a lot of injuries, and they are still missing a few important players. We examine the current state of play ahead of this weekend’s Premier League match at the City Ground.
Injury to Ibrahim Sangare: Illness.
What is known: The midfielder was sidelined by a virus while serving for his nation during the international break, so he was not involved in the match against the Seagulls. It was the day before the Brighton match that he arrived back in the United Kingdom.
As stated: “He became ill and was hospitalised for six weeks.” He didn’t feel like flying until Friday because he lost a lot of weight. Friday was his first day back in the nation,” Cooper remarked following the match. All he needs to do is rest and heal. To put it mildly, it took the wind out of his sails.
“We were receiving information from the national team’s doctors that even before Friday indicated he wouldn’t be available for this weekend. He was disappointed, but maybe he can bounce back quickly. He hasn’t yet reached that point.
Taiwo Awoniyi
Injury: Groin.
What we know: In a big blow for the Reds, the striker faces a significant spell on the sidelines after undergoing groin surgery. Forest hope that the decision for Awoniyi to go under the knife can help resolve the problem which had ruled him out of action previously, with the front man having aggravated the issue while on duty with Nigeria.
What has been said: “It’s bad news on Taiwo, he’s had to have surgery and is going to be out for months,” Cooper said last week. “It’s a difficult moment for him, and for us.
“We’ll support him and try to get him back as quick and as fit as he can be. It’s a really unfortunate situation for him.
“Firstly, it’s a blow for him. He’s become an important player for us with the goals he’s scored and the goals he will score for us. But he’s such a good guy and a good professional who is desperate to do well, so to get an injury like this is harsh on him.
“We’ve got to support him through the process of coming back stronger. He’s done that once before here and I’m sure he will give everything again, like he did last time. You think about how well he did when he returned last season, I’m sure that’s given him a good reference point to come back to.
“We’ll definitely see him again this season. But it’s groin surgery, so it will take a little while.”
Felipe
Injury: Knee.
What we know: A knee issue prevented the defender from being involved in any of the Reds’ pre-season games and he barely trained during the summer. He did minimal training after joining in January, too, but was able to get through matches by making “sacrifices”.
He is yet to get on the pitch for the first-team this season but was on the bench against Burnley in the Carabao Cup and at Chelsea. He then played an hour for the Under-21s against Harrogate Town in the EFL Trophy but has not been in a match squad since.
What has been said: “It has not been easy for Felipe,” Cooper said. “It’s unfortunate because everyone saw, not just how well he played last season, but also how influential he was and the impact he had on others. For sure, we have missed that. If we can get him back, it will be a real bonus for everyone.”
Earlier this season, Felipe said via a translator: “It was a variety of different things, different niggles. A fibrosis in the kneecap was diagnosed, and that was holding me back. But that is all recovered and resolved now.
“I had it last season. It was the same thing, it was a bit more intense. I would manage it with medication and treatment.
“I made lots of sacrifices to make it on to the pitch, so when it came to the end of the season it was quite delicate. The decision was made to have this rest and recovery period so I will have no more problems in the future.”
