Nottingham Forest will park their Premier League plans after playing Manchester United at the weekend and focus will switch to the FA Cup where they will face Blackpool.
The Reds claimed a big win over Newcastle on Boxing Day. Espirito Santo will hope that such a big win can give his team some fresh impetus heading into the New Year as Forest try to stay in the Premier League.
Forest have a somewhat bloated squad. With that in mind, Espirito Santo may look to have a little experiment in the FA Cup when his team faces a League One outfit.
Experimental Nottingham Forest team for Blackpool clash
The Forest rearguard
Given that Matt Turner has been the number one in recent weeks, it seems as though Odysseas Vlachodimos will get a chance to shine during the FA Cup contest.
In defence, there could be a reprieve for Joe Worrall. It was claimed that he’d had a bit of a disagreement with Steve Cooper, although he was introduced late on against Newcastle.
Andrew Omobamidele must be hoping to get the Forest kit on soon too and he could partner the captain at the heart of a back four.
At right-back, Neco Williams looks like the ideal fit, whilst Espirito Santo might choose to look at Nuno Tavares at left-back.
Forest engine room
There isn’t too much experimenting that Espirito Santo could do here really.
Ryan Yates and Nicolas Dominguez would provide Forest with a pretty steady midfield pairing and they possess similar qualities.
Ibrahim Sangare is likely to be off to the African Cup of Nations so along with Cheikhou Kouyate, they won’t be available for this one.
Leading the Forest line
This is where Espirito Santo could be creative. He may choose to keep Callum Hudson-Odoi in the team as he looks to build up his match fitness but there could be changes elsewhere.
Brandon Aguilera could come into the number 10 role, whilst Ateef Konate might be given a chance on the left.
In attack, Forest can’t really allow Divock Origi to return to AC Milan whilst Taiwo Awoniyi is out injured and the Belgian could come in for Chris Wood.
Here is the experimental XI that Espirito Santo could use in the FA Cup:
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