The wait is over for Nottingham Forest, and today the Premier League campaign resumes at the City Ground.
A sell-out crowd will see Brentford arrive on Trentside with the Bees looking to sting Forest following a summer of upheaval for the West London outfit.
Forest confirmed the signing of Omari Hutchinson yesterday but he will have to wait for his debut after joining the club after the cut-off.
James McAtee has also checked in from Manchester City but again, he will have to sit tight for his first outing in the Garibaldi.
Ahead of the curtain-raiser later this afternoon, we’ve pre-empted how Nuno Espirito Santo might choose to line his team up.
Nottingham Forest predicted XI vs Brentford
The Forest rearguard
Forest have last season’s Golden Glove winner in their ranks, and Matz Sels will continue as the club’s number one this season.
As far as the back four goes, there will be little change for the visit of Brentford, with Forest recognising the need to remain consistent with the rearguard.
Neco Williams and Ola Aina should start in their respective full-back positions, with Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo once again stepping out as the central defensive partnership.
The Forest engine room
This is where the big conundrum comes for Espirito Santo in the season opener.
Ibrahim Sangare was superb in the final weeks of last season and comes into this season fresh as a daisy after some solid midfield showings in pre-season.
However, Ryan Yates has started the last two friendly contests and that might hand him the edge today, with the club captain vying for a spot.
That said, we think that Espirito Santo might simply be looking to throw Keith Andrews off the scent a little bit and Sangare will get the nod to begin alongside Elliot Anderson.
Leading the Forest line
Igor Jesus was called ‘classy’ in the summer, but he might have to wait for his maiden City Ground start with other options ahead of him.
Morgan Gibbs-White will begin the game as the number 10, with new recruit Dan Ndoye coming into the void left by Anthony Elanga’s departure for Newcastle.
Callum Hudson-Odoi should begin the game on the left, with Chris Wood, the scorer of 20 goals last season, starting as the main spearhead in attack.
Predicted Forest XI vs Brentford:
Also in contention
Angus Gunn is the new backup goalkeeper at Forest, replacing Carlos Miguel who is on his way out of the club.
At the back, new recruit Jair Cunha will provide some cover for the full-back slots as well as the central defensive area, with Morato also still at the club.
Zach Abbott will be the team’s utility option defensively.
Yates will provide the cover in midfield, with Nicolas Dominguez to miss out with the knee injury he picked up on the final day of last season.
Jesus will offer support to the attackers on the pitch, whilst Jota Silva and Taiwo Awoniyi will also be on the bench against Brentford.
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