Nottingham Forest have been forced into a defensive reshuffle at Villa Park. The Nikola Milenkovic injury situation, along with a similar concern over Jair Cunha, means both centre-backs were left out of the Reds squad entirely for this afternoon’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa.
According to Sarah Clapson of the Nottingham Post, the pair are both understood to be suffering from slight hamstring tightness and were not risked for the 3pm kick-off. Neither was named among the substitutes either, which points to a precautionary call rather than anything that forced a late withdrawal.
What the Nikola Milenkovic injury means for Glasner’s back three
The upshot is that two of Forest’s summer signings get their first Premier League starts for the club on the same afternoon. Ousmane Diomande, who arrived from Sporting CP and came off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur for his first league appearance, comes straight into the back line. Daniel Munoz, signed from Crystal Palace on the final day of the window, starts a league game for the Reds for the first time since following Oliver Glasner to the City Ground.
Those are the only two changes Glasner made to the side that drew 0-0 with Spurs. The Austrian was expected to stick with the 3-4-2-1 shape he has used all season, with Ola Aina shifting across as the right-sided centre-back alongside Diomande and Murillo. Munoz takes the right wing-back berth and Neco Williams stays on the left.
Xaver Schlager and James McAtee keep their places in central midfield. Ibrahim Sangare, who has recovered from a slight calf problem, is among the substitutes. The full line-up is in our confirmed Forest XI for Aston Villa.
Jair Cunha’s absence carries an extra edge
For Cunha in particular, the timing is unwelcome. The young Brazilian has just been handed his first senior Brazil call-up ahead of their upcoming friendlies, a reward for a run of quietly assured performances in the Forest defence, and he will want the hamstring to settle quickly rather than become anything that threatens that trip.
Milenkovic, meanwhile, has been the most dependable presence in the Reds’ back line since arriving at the City Ground and is the sort of player Glasner has been able to pick without thinking about it. Losing him and Cunha in the same week leaves the head coach short of specialist centre-backs, which is why Aina has been asked to fill in on the right of the three.
Forest still chasing a first win
Forest travelled to the West Midlands with two points from their opening three Premier League fixtures. A 1-0 home defeat to Leeds United on the opening weekend was followed by a 2-2 draw at Liverpool, where Dan Ndoye and Morgan Gibbs-White scored and Liam Delap made his debut, and then the goalless draw with Spurs in which Williams had a goal chalked off for handball after a VAR check.
Villa, for their part, were in European action in midweek, and Glasner had already flagged that as a factor when he warned his players about the size of the task at Unai Emery’s ground. Whether a defence missing two of its first-choice options can be the platform for a first win of the season is the question of the afternoon.
Team news via the Nottingham Post; fixtures and results from the Premier League.
