ange Postecoglou
Nottingham Forest is set to face Midtjylland with a depleted squad due to injuries. The team will be without key players Douglas Luiz and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who are sidelined with hamstring and groin issues, respectively. Additionally, Ola Aina remains a long-term absentee, leaving head coach Ange Postecoglou with limited options in the full-back department.
Ange Postecoglou said: “Murillo should be good. He has trained the last three days, which is the first time he’s had a solid block of training. He’s available. We’re a little bit short there (at the back). It’s always the way it goes in football; we don’t have too many injuries, but we’ve lost two full-backs and a defender. I think that has been a little bit disruptive. When you look at Forest’s defence last year, Murillo and Ola were constants in it and we haven’t had them. Having said that, I’ve been really happy with the likes of Morato and Zinchenko. It just means someone else steps up.”
Postecoglou continued: “Zinchenko is not too bad. He pulled up a bit sore with his groin (against Sunderland on Saturday) and did well to finish the game because he felt it early on. He has probably played more football in these last three weeks than he probably has played for quite a while. It is probably not surprising he felt a bit sore. It is nothing significant. It will put him out tomorrow night and probably the weekend, with us knowing the international break is straight after. With him, Douglas Luiz and a couple of others, we have got to take this time to make sure we have them up and running for the next period of games.”
Despite the injury setbacks, Postecoglou remains optimistic about the upcoming European fixture, marking the first time in nearly three decades that European football returns to the City Ground. The head coach expressed his excitement about leading the team in this significant match, acknowledging the efforts of previous managers who paved the way for this opportunity.
Postecoglou added: “I’m really privileged. That’s on the back of the work of guys like Coops (Steve Cooper) and Nuno (Espirito Santo) that have got us to this point. I’m the beneficiary of that, and I don’t take that lightly. It is a privilege, but it’s one I’m looking forward to – the responsibility of leading the club back in Europe for the first time in 30 years and hopefully making it a campaign to remember. More importantly, it’s something this football club wants to do on a regular basis, every season.”
The match against Midtjylland is expected to be a special occasion, with fans eagerly anticipating the return of European nights at the historic venue. Postecoglou emphasized the unique atmosphere these matches bring and the challenges they present, as the team prepares to face unfamiliar opponents and styles of play.
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