Nottingham Forest face Olympiacos tonight in a clash between two of the clubs owned by Evangelos Marinakis.
Forest fans will be heading out to Greece this morning as they dream of making similar trips to play European football in the future.
That’s a little ambitious right now with Forest still trying to establish as a Premier League club but fans of a certain age will miss heading off to places like Greece on a frequent basis.
Nonetheless, tonight’s friendly will represent a good test for the Reds and it will also bring the curtain down on Forest’s pre-season campaign in terms of fixtures.
With the anticipation building, we’ve taken a look at how the Forest team might line up in Athens this evening.
Nottingham Forest predicted team vs Olympiacos
The Forest rearguard
We think for Nuno Espirito Santo tonight represents a good chance to play a strong team – and one that isn’t too dissimilar to the one that plays against Bournemouth in a little over a week.
With that in mind, we think a 4-2-3-1 will be on display, with Matz Sels taking the gloves for tonight’s game.
At the back, we believe it will be a partnership of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic on display as they look to get familiar with each other.
Neco Williams should start at right-back, with Ola Aina occupying the place on the left-hand side.
The Forest engine room
So far, there has been a bit of a redemption arc for Ibrahim Sangare during pre-season.
He picked up an illness last season after returning from AFCON duties and that hampered his performance levels.
This summer, he’s come back looking stronger, sharper and fitter than ever, with Forest now hopeful he can prove himself as a £30m player.
We fancy him to keep his place tonight, alongside Danilo to provide some flair against Olympiacos.
Leading the Forest line
Chris Wood has been forced to play most of the pre-season so he may get a rest this evening.
It’s time for Taiwo Awoniyi to prove himself during the summer and force himself into the reckoning ahead of next weekend’s opening game.
The fitness of the Nigerian is a real worry and as a result, he really needs to be starting tonight.
Behind him, we think Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi might also get a little breather after playing a lot during pre-season.
It could be a chance to look at Elliot Anderson coming in from the left and new signing Jota Silva on the right – with Morgan Gibbs-White captaining the team from his number 10 spot.
Nottingham Forest predicted team vs Olympiacos:
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