Nottingham Forest know that their hopes of securing a top-eight finish from the Europa League group stage depend heavily on the outcome of their match with Malmo on home soil.
Sean Dyche’s first win as the Forest head coach came against Porto in the competition and after a draw over Sturm Graz, the match with Malmo is pretty much a must-win as far as making the top eight goes.
Will Nottingham Forest beat Malmo in the Europa League?
Dyche has some big calls to make against Malmö. On one hand, the Reds badly need a victory to keep alive their hopes of making the top eight in the competition, but Brighton in the Premier League is arguably more important.
Morgan Gibbs-White is definitely missing for tonight’s game. He picked up a niggle against Liverpool and the hope will be that he can recover sufficiently for Sunday’s clash.
Some changes will likely be made against Malmö, and here at Nottingham Forest News, we’ve predicted the XI that will line up at the City Ground this evening.
Nottingham Forest predicted XI vs Malmo
The Forest rearguard
Matz Sels kept a clean sheet on Saturday, and it would be a surprise if he wasn’t given the nod between the posts.
At right-back, Zach Abbott was brilliant against Sturm Graz during a 15-minute cameo, and he might come in for a start to allow Nicolo Savona the chance to rest.
Nikola Milenkovic should start at centre-back, but after his goalscoring exploits at Anfield, Murillo might be replaced, allowing him to rest with Morato coming in.
Neco Williams will likely start at left-back, given the squad is light on left-backs at the moment.
Nottingham Forest’s six games in all competitions under Sean Dyche
The Forest engine room
With no Gibbs-White, it looks for all the world like Ryan Yates will play as the leader of the pack this evening.
He could be partnered by a host of players with options aplenty, but perhaps Nicolas Dominguez is the one who needs the minutes the most and the Argentine should get the chance here.
Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare will provide the options from the bench.
Leading the Forest line
Chris Wood remains sidelined, so this could be a huge opportunity for Arnaud Kalimuendo to get a run out, with Igor Jesus saved for Sunday’s league game.
James McAtee should be the beneficiary of Gibbs-White’s injury issue and he will start for the second successive Europa League contest.
On the flanks, Forest could still go quite strong, with Callum Hudson-Odoi stepping up his return to full fitness and Dan Ndoye starting to showcase why the Reds parted with so much money for him in the summer.
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