Nuno Espirito Santo must unleash ‘phenomenal’ Nottingham Forest star vs Tottenham – he loves playing against them

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Nuno Espirito Santo’s side travel to Tottenham on Monday evening, and one Nottingham Forest player could play a huge role in the game’s outcome.

Chelsea and Aston Villa’s victories over the weekend have left Nottingham Forest’s Champions League hopes in doubt heading into the final five games of the season.

Now sitting sixth in the Premier League table, with a game in hand over their European rivals, Forest will recognise the need for three points in north London.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
4	Man CityManchester City	33	17	7	9	64	42	22	58
5	ChelseaChelsea	33	16	9	8	58	40	18	57
6	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	32	17	6	9	51	38	13	57
7	Aston VillaAston Villa	33	16	9	8	53	47	6	57

With that being said, Espirito Santo would be wise to make a change to his Forest lineup ahead of their trip down south, with Anthony Elanga’s impact being sorely missed against Everton last time out.

• READ MORE: Paul Merson shares fascinating Nottingham Forest statistic, makes prediction for Tottenham fixture

Forest missed Anthony Elanga vs Everton

Elanga, who has been labelled as ‘phenomenal’ for his performances this season, could only make the bench against the Toffees as Espirito Santo managed his fitness after injury.

Forest lacked pace and creativity during the 1-0 defeat, with Gary Lineker claiming Forest missed Elanga going forward.

With only 0.52 worth of xG and zero big chances created, Nuno’s side barely threatened the Everton goal, something which will no doubt worry Forest fans heading into the final stages of the season.

One way to help fix Forest’s toothless attack would be to start Elanga, with the 22-year-old potentially holding the key to unlocking the Tottenham door on Monday evening.

Elanga has good record against Tottenham

The former Man United man has 15 goal contributions to his name this campaign, and one of those goals would come against upcoming opponents Spurs on Boxing Day, in a 1-0 win for Nuno’s men.

Despite not scoring or assisting in any of his first three appearances against the Lilywhites, Elanga actually has a goal contribution in his last two games against Spurs.

Pacey, direct and forward-thinking, the Swedish international holds the perfect antidote for Tottenham’s high-line system, something which was perfectly shown by his goal against them in December.

With the top five race heating up and precious points on offer, Elanga could be the answer to securing three points against Spurs and helping cement Forest’s Champions League push.