Managers and players rarely look beyond the next game in interviews, but Nottingham Forest boss Chris Hughton admits he cannot discount upcoming fixtures when it comes to picking and preparing his team.
The Reds go to second placed Bournemouth on Tuesday night before taking on Swansea, Watford, Reading and Norwich - four sides who are also in the top six at present.
The are still three more games to follow those before Christmas - against Brentford, Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall, as Forest face a run of eight games in 26 days after Saturday's defeat to Barnsley.
Hughton admits his thinking has to be influenced by that daunting run, with the manager able to utilise his hefty squad against some of the divisions biggest hitters.
“To a degree, it has to," he told Nottinghamshire Live, when asked if the number and quality of opponents would be a factor in who starts each game.
"With the volume of games that we have, all our team selections will get to the point where we do have to use the squad; where you do have to think of the type of game that it is.
“It is very difficult, as a manager in this division now, to continue to play the same team, with the volume of games that we have now.
“So yes, there will always be some influence from the opposition and by the fact that we have a quick turnaround.”
Forest remain 20th in the table after Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Oakwell. Hughton has picked up 12 points from eight games, a respectable return, but there is clearly plenty to work on still.
However, the former Brighton boss admits time to work on facets of their game in training will be limited because of their pre-Christmas schedule.
“Getting on to the training pitch is not so much the problem, because that is what we do. It is about the volume of training that you can get into players," he said.
“A lot of what you do on the training pitch will be lighter sessions. The tactical work you do will be a case of walking through some of the tactics.
“These periods of time, you have to use meetings as best as you can. But even with meetings and Covid, you have to split the group up, to maintain social distancing.
“As we go into the groups of games, it becomes more about recovery and preparation for the next one. The answer to your question is yes, it is very difficult to do the work you would like to do on the training pitch. But that will be the same for every manager and every club."
Tuesday's opponents have impressed under new manager Jason Tindall, who stepped into the hotseat after Eddie Howe's departure.
Bournemouth are second after losing just once this season. They have scored seven goals in their last two games, but ground out points before that, scoring four times in six fixtures.
Hughton has been impressed with Bournemouth, especially their attacking options, even without Josh King, who has tested positive for coronavirus.
"Their season has gone how I expected. They lost three players in the summer, but still have a very good squad and a very good XI, no matter who starts," he said.
"They've got a lot of goals in them. Anyone who gets a result against them will have to play well.
"They'll have to nullify the attacking threat they have. We'll be in for a good game against them.
"They decided to go with someone they knew very well as manager, someone who had been on the coaching staff.
"Having been there for a long time, the manager will know this division. He will know it from when they were in the Championship and from the players they have scouted that play in it.
"It can be about a mentality, about a manager getting the right mentality into a group of players.
"At the moment he seems to have done that."
