Key absentee, ‘quote of the day’, team spirit – what we spotted in Nottingham Forest training
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest return to Premier League action against Crystal Palace this evening
Nottingham Forest will have their sights set on claiming a first home win of the season when they take on Crystal Palace this evening.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Reds have made a fine start to the Premier League campaign but are yet to claim three points at the City Ground. Indeed, they have not triumphed on the banks of the Trent since April.
Plotting how to end that run has been a focus for head coach Nuno during the international break. The Portuguese will not be on the touchline against Palace as he serves the first of a three-match ban, but he has said the players will go into the game well prepared for the clash with Oliver Glasner’s side.
Ahead of the game, Forest have been working hard at the Nigel Doughty Academy. The club have posted various clips and pictures on social media of the players being put through their paces, and below are some of the things we spotted.
Nuno will not be the only one suspended for tonight’s match. Morgan Gibbs-White and James Ward-Prowse are also banned for this evening’s game.
However, even if he were eligible to feature it is unlikely the former would be involved against Palace. Ward-Prowse still joined in training despite being unavailable tonight, but there was no sign of Gibbs-White in the club’s footage of the squad being put through their paces ahead of the fixture.
The England international suffered an ankle injury in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea before the international break. He was forced to pull out of Three Lions duty having received his second call-up to the senior squad.
“He’s still injured. Hopefully for the next game he’s going to be available,” Nuno said in Friday’s pre-match press conference. “It was in the game against Chelsea. He went out with a lot of pain. He’s still recovering, he’s getting much better day by day, but it’s still going to take some time.
“It’s always a day by day assessment, it’s with the medical department and the player to see how he is. For Palace, he’s not available.”
All eyes will be on tonight’s team news to see who takes on the No.10 role in Gibbs-White’s absence or whether Nuno springs a surprise with a formation change. Summer signing Jota Silva will be hoping he gets the nod for his first Premier League start, and he will no doubt have been doing his best to impress in training.
During the international break the club showed off how the training ground has undergone an impressive transformation thanks to a multi-million pound investment spearheaded by owner Evangelos Marinakis. It certainly looks the part and the players seem to be right at home in their refreshed surroundings.
Words such as “Fight, Survive, Win” and “Dream, Love, Create” can be seen on the walls. Another message reads: “Never never give up.”
The installation of a brand-new 405 metre-squared gym was one of the biggest investments of the club’s programme to improve the facilities at the Nigel Doughty Academy. In video footage posted by the club on social media, the players are shown making the most of it.
When the update was unveiled, midfielder Ryan Yates said of the new-look training ground: “It’s improved dramatically. The backing from the owner, not only at the City Ground but at the training ground, has been massive. Year on year he’s constantly improving things. You can just tell by going in that the level is different. It’s top class.”
