Nottingham Forest are on the eve of their return to European football after a 30-year absence, and the task against Real Betis has been made easier by the latest injury news from Spain.
Murillo should be fit to face Betis as Ange Postecoglou looks to build on Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Burnley with a positive result in the Europa League on Wednesday.
It’ll certainly help that Postecoglou has European experience with Celtic and Tottenham to call back on, with the club in general heading to Seville as an unknown quantity in modern UEFA football.
If they’re disadvantaged in terms of experience, though, Forest may have an edge in quality as Betis are without one of their most decorated stars.
Real Betis will be without Isco for Nottingham Forest clash
Forest will be wary of facing Antony on Wednesday due to the Brazilian’s strong record against the Reds from his difficult spell at Manchester United, but another of Betis’ stars will not be involved.
According to Estadio Deportivo, Betis will remain without the services of four-time Champions League winner Isco, who has been spotted on crutches after fracturing his fibula in August.
Further midfield issues for Betis also come in the form of Nelson Deossa, who has reportedly been struggling with an ankle issue over the summer despite featuring twice this season already.
For Manuel Pellegrini, though, Isco may not be his main concern, as one of his top defenders has suffered a setback in training ahead of Forest’s visit.
Real Betis’ Diego Llorente absent from pre-Forest training
The Reds have had their own defensive issues since Postecoglou arrived at the City Ground, with Ola Aina suffering a hamstring injury that will keep him out of the majority of the league phase of the Europa League.
Betis seem to be having similar problems, though, as AS have reported that centre-back Diego Llorente has missed training ahead of Forest touching down in Spain.
The report said: “Diego Llorente was the notable absentee from Manuel Pellegrini’s session ahead of Wednesday’s visit of Nottingham Forest.
“The Madrid centre-back had to be substituted at halftime of last Friday’s match against Real Sociedad with discomfort that, according to the club, is unrelated to the serious muscle injury that cut short his season and from which he has only recently recovered.
“Therefore, Llorente is expected to miss the Green and Whites’ European debut.”
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