Nottingham Forest face a tricky test this weekend as the team travels to play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The Reds are looking to bounce back from a defeat to Newcastle prior to the international break.
It’s still been a positive start for Forest though, with 19 points accrued from 11 matches in the Premier League so far.
Forest sit fifth in the table right now and although that might not continue, there is a strong foundation in place for the team to build on.
The break after the Newcastle game seemed to come at the right time, with a number of players in need of rest or nursing minor injuries.
Now, ahead of the trip to North London, Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo might have a little boost when it comes to choosing his squad.
Nottingham Forest handed fitness boost ahead of Arsenal test
Several players headed off on international duty last week and there was a contrasting level of minutes for the Forest contingent.
Neco Williams played his part in four Nations League points for Wales, whilst Nikola Milenkovic made a couple of outings for Serbia.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Ramon Sosa and Eric da Silva Moreira were also out on duty, with Murillo failing to collect his first cap for Brazil.
Ola Aina played for Nigeria in one of their games during the international break but he was then sent home ahead of the clash with Rwanda.
It was claimed that he’d picked up an injury during the draw with Benin and that left some Forest fans concerned.
However, some training ground photos appear to have dismissed any notion of an injury, with Aina spotted among his teammates, training in the snow!
Forest need Aina to remain fit this season
Forest have nailed it in a number of areas this season and the two full-backs have both been in tremendous form.
Aina has been brilliant at right-back and in the recent thrashing of West Ham, he scored a brilliant first goal of the campaign.
Hopefully, his return from international duty was nothing more than a precaution and he can take his place in the Forest starting eleven at Arsenal.
Aina will be out of contract with Forest in the summer and he won’t want to be spending too much time on the sidelines – if any at all.
He will want to convince the powers that be at Forest that he’s deserving of a new one and get that nipped in the bud way before the summer.
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