Nottingham Forest team news ahead of Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa is about as encouraging as Oliver Glasner could have hoped for. Nicolò Savona is the only member of the squad ruled out of the Villa Park fixture (3pm kick-off), with the head coach confirming everybody else has been able to train fully throughout the week.
Savona the only absentee
Savona has not played since January after undergoing knee surgery, and Forest are deliberately taking their time with the Italian. Glasner said before the international break that the full-back could be back on the grass either during or shortly after it, and the message on Thursday was that the 22-year-old remains on schedule — just not schedule as the impatient among us would set it.
“Fortunately it is just Nicolò (ruled out of Saturday). All of the others could train for the entire week so far, which is positive,” Glasner told reporters, in quotes carried by the Nottingham Post.
“We are now on the cautious side (with Savona) after he had a few setbacks or reactions in his knees. Now we are really progressing the rehab very slowly, because the worst thing for a player is if you feel you are getting closer and all of a sudden you have a setback. If that happens, you maybe start two or three levels below again.
“That’s why we are now really progressing slowly, but so far everything is on track. We don’t put pressure on him, it’s increasing the intensity of his individual rehab sessions and then having a look at how the knee reacts. So far, it’s all fine.”
The wider picture is the useful bit for anyone trying to guess an XI. A full week of training for the rest of the group means Glasner goes to the Midlands derby with a genuine selection headache rather than a shortlist, and it also means Ibrahim Sangaré — absent for the last two league games with a slight calf problem — is in contention again, with the Post reporting he could be involved at Villa Park.
The problem Glasner actually has to solve
Fitness, then, is not the issue. Finishing is. Forest have now drawn a blank in three straight games at the City Ground, failing to score against Leeds United twice and Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, when Neco Williams had a goal ruled out by VAR in a 0-0 draw. The two goals that earned a point at Liverpool remain the Reds’ only strikes of the campaign.
Glasner is not pretending otherwise, but nor does he sound like a coach about to rip anything up.
“I think right now we’re missing a little bit,” he said. “In a few situations it looks promising, but the final bit we are missing. Is it a clinical finish? Is it the last pass? Is it the last decision? Is it a good set-piece? Is it a rebound? This is what we have to work for.
“I think we are there, where we want to be, in many situations, but it’s just getting this goal, especially at home. We are creating chances and scored two at Liverpool, which was good. My approach is quite simple, it is create more chances and then you increase the chance of scoring. That’s what we will try to do.”
Why Villa Park matters
Forest arrive still hunting a first win of 2026/27, with two points from three Premier League matches. Villa have their own worries in the treatment room, with Matty Cash a doubt for a reunion with his former club, and an away trip after a fortnight of rebuilding may suit a side whose home form has been the strangest thing about their start.
Glasner has had a clear run at the squad for the first time since taking charge in July. On the evidence of Thursday, he has almost everyone available and one very specific box to tick. Kick-off details for the weekend are in our how to watch guide.
