Injury update
Nottingham Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi hinted Samba Sow will be fit for Saturday’s crunch clash with Leeds United.
The midfielder missed last weekend’s defeat at Birmingham City with a slight knee injury, but has joined in with training in the build-up to the City Ground showdown.
It will be the fourth-placed Reds against their second-placed opponents on the banks of the Trent, with the gap between the two standing at four points.
And Lamouchi says if Sow is fully fit, such is his importance to the team, he will play.
Transfer business
Finding players with the right character was as important as signing those with the right qualities for Nottingham Forest in the January transfer window.
Head coach Sabri Lamouchi admits it proved to be a tough market for the Reds as they looked to strengthen their squad for a promotion push.
But he is pleased with the business done as striker Nuno da Costa, winger Adama Diakhaby and defender Gaetan Bong all put pen to paper, while front man Tyler Walker was recalled early from his loan spell at Lincoln City.
“I was happy with the transfer business because before the opening of the window I knew it would not be easy in January to find the right profile and the right players,” said Lamouchi. “Because everyone wants the same. Everyone wants quality players in the same positions.
Team spirit
Nottingham Forest have a “special” team spirit which can play a key part in their promotion push, according to new signing Nuno da Costa.
The Reds face a mouthwatering clash with rivals Leeds United at the City Ground on Saturday, as they look to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat at Birmingham City.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side are just four points ahead, after losing at home to Wigan Athletic saw them drop to second in the Championship table.
Da Costa could make his debut against the Whites, having made the move from Strasbourg, and says he has quickly settled in at Forest thanks to the tight-knit group which makes up the dressing room.
Bielsa's hint
Marcelo Bielsa’s pre-Nottingham Forest press conference lasted one minute shy of an hour this afternoon.
The Leeds United boss is preparing his side to take on Forest at the City Ground in Saturday evening’s televised fixture (5.30pm).
Sabri Lamouchi’s men will move to within a point of the Whites if they can secure a victory, while Bielsa will want his side to bounce back from Saturday’s home defeat to lowly Wigan Athletic.
One talking point at the top of the agenda was whether or not January signing Jean-Kevin Augustin would make his senior debut against the Reds.
