Samba Sow has given praise to Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba ahead of Sunday’s Championship play-off final.
The Malian midfielder spent two seasons at Forest before being released at the end of his contract last summer.
During 2021/22 he’s been on the books with Lens in Ligue 1 but a familiar situation has arisen.
Injuries have restricted Sow to just nine appearances for the club’s reserve team and he’s failed to play a senior game all season.
The experienced performer has cast a close eye towards Nottingham and his former club this season.
UEFA MUST STOP! NEW CHAMPIONS LEAGUE COULD RUIN FOOTBALL
Sow is delighted to see Forest on the cusp of the Premier League and ahead of Sunday, he’s heaped praise on Samba.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: “I know Brice is a great, great keeper. Sometimes I even want to slap his face because I know he can do more.
“It was crazy. It was a big game against United and he made some great saves. To save three penalties was a dream for him.
“I’m happy for him and happy for the team.”
Sow signed for Forest in 2019 from Dinamo Moscow and his tough-tackling approach quickly saw him become a fan favourite.
Injuries did prove a problem though. The 33-year-old made 42 appearances across two seasons and if he wasn’t injured he’d often find himself suspended.
Still, he did perform a quality partnership with Ben Watson during the 2019/20 campaign as Forest nearly claimed a play-off place.
Sow heaps praise on Samba and he must produce another Forest masterclass on Sunday
Sheffield United was a tough test but Forest face another one on Sunday at Wembley.
In Huddersfield, they will meet the division’s form team and a bunch of players who have defied the odds all season.
As a result, they will need Samba to be on top of his game once again this weekend.
The penalty-saving hero should be buoyed from his last outing and a confident Samba is an asset to any team.
Clearly, Sow enjoyed his time on Trentside and after attending the play-off semi-final he will be an intrigued spectator again on Sunday.
Hopefully, Forest can complete the job.