Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper has named his team to face Valencia in a pre-season friendly this evening.
The Reds will be looking to continue in winning fashion after defeating Notts County at Meadow Lane on Saturday.
Cooper has once again gone with a mixture of youth and experience in this evening’s squad, with Joe Worrall skippering the side.
Forest team to play Valencia
The Reds will line up as follows: Shelvey; Worrall, Mangala, Williams, Niakhate, Yates, Freuler, McKenna, Danilo, Boly, Hwang
Subs: Bott, Kouyate, Mighten, Bowler, Aguilera, Drager, Taylor, Donnelly, Gardner, Powell
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It’s hard to grasp too much from any team selection in pre-season, although this does seem quite peculiar.
Interestingly, Cooper has opted to go three at the back, but four central midfielders will start the game.
Orel Mangala, Remo Freuler, Danilo and Ryan Yates all being given the nod does suggest some experimenting from the head coach.
Youngster and fringe player get Forest chances
Cooper has stuck with Hwang to lead the line this evening after his goalscoring heroics against Notts County.
It’s hard to imagine the South Korean getting a Premier League chance but nonetheless, he will be keen to keep playing well.
At 30, Hwang will be available for transfer this summer and perhaps he was signed in the eventuality that Forest were relegated last season.
Elsewhere, George Shelvey starts in goal again. With Ethan Horvath still not fit, he will have another chance to stake his claim for a bigger role this season.
The goalkeeping situation is getting a little bit desperate at Forest but all the 22-year-old can do is keep playing well when called upon.
Who to look out for on the Forest bench
Young goalkeeper Aaron Bott will definitely benefit from this experience and there’s a chance he might play in the second half.
Elsewhere, Josh Bowler will want to show what he can do if he’s called upon at some point this evening.
Perhaps the most exciting player on the bench is Brandon Aguilera. The 20-year-old looks like a wonderful talent and hopefully, the fans will get a glimpse of him at some point.