Nottingham Forest face FC Midtjylland in the second leg of their Europa League last 16 tie in Denmark on Thursday
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira in training(Image: Getty)
Nottingham Forest have their work cut out to make the quarter-finals of the Europa League as they prepare for the second leg of their last 16 tie.
The Reds take on FC Midtjylland in Denmark on Thursday (5.45pm kick-off). Vitor Pereira’s side have a 1-0 deficit to overturn, if they are to continue their continental adventure.
The midweek clash is the first of two huge fixtures for Forest this week. No sooner do they land back in the UK, they are away to relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.
There is plenty for Pereira to ponder ahead of a massive few days. Below, NottinghamshireLive weighs up some of this week’s key talking points…
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Should Forest name a second-string against Midtjylland, in order to focus on the league?
It is quite the dilemma for the Reds head coach. After Sunday’s draw with Fulham, he hinted changes will be made in Denmark with the trip to the capital in mind.
But it shouldn’t be a decision Pereira makes lightly. Who knows when Forest will be in Europe again; opportunities to reach the quarter-finals – and potentially go even further – in European competitions do not come around often.
There is also a case to be made that the Reds could do with some momentum and positivity. A win over Midtjylland would certainly boost the mood ahead of the big showdown with Spurs.
On the flip side, competing on two fronts is really stretching the squad. Forest’s fringe players haven’t exactly pulled up many trees, while the first XI are beginning to look tired.
Sacrificing one competition does not automatically guarantee success in the other, of course. If only it were that easy, eh?
I’d be tempted to go with a mix of first-team and fringe players at the MCH Arena; not full-strength but not completely weakened, either. The Reds are capable of getting a win, so start strong and see how it goes after an hour or so.
Who should start up front against Spurs?
I think we will get an idea of what Pereira is thinking for his Sunday line-up with the one he names in Denmark. If Igor Jesus is rested and Lorenzo Lucca starts, that may well mean the former is set to keep his place in the team at the weekend.
If Jesus starts against Midtjylland, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Taiwo Awoniyi get the nod in the capital. The Nigerian deserves to make the XI.
Awoniyi caused more problems in his cameo against Fulham at the City Ground than Jesus had done for the best part of an hour. He looked a real threat and probably should have done better with his chance towards the end.
Jesus needs a break. His struggles with finding the net in the league are in danger of becoming a mental issue as much as anything else.
Awoniyi might not necessarily be the answer to Forest’s goalscoring problems, but I think he’s worth a go. He can’t do any worse than the Reds are managing at the minute.
Having Chris Wood back, hopefully next month, will be huge. It will be a big ask for him to hit the ground running and rediscover his form of last term straight away, though, so Awoniyi, Jesus and Lucca are still going to be needed in the remaining games.