Sabri Lamouchi will have selection issues to ponder as he prepares for just his second Championship game as Nottingham Forest head coach.
Forest host Birmingham City at the City Ground on Saturday and will do so, looking to avoid an unwanted record.
Not since 2010/11 have the Reds failed to win any of their opening three league games of the campaign, and following defeat to West Brom and last Saturday’s draw at Leeds, Lamouchi will be desperate to get three points on the board.
The Reds will be buoyed after coming through a testing Carabao Cup tie on Tuesday night to secure their place in round two and a mouthwatering clash with Derby County.
Lamouchi opted to make nine changes for that victory, with Brice Samba, Yuri Ribeiro, Carl Jenkinson, John Bostock, Sammy Ameobi, Samba Sow and Rafa Mir all making their full debuts and must decide if any did enough to warrant a Championship starting berth.
Arguably Lamouchi’s biggest decision will be whether or not to restore Matty Cash to right-back at the expense of Jenkinson, and keep faith with Sow instead of Ben Watson.
Cash dealt manfully with the tricky test of Jack Harrison and Stuart Dallas at Elland Road, and would have left West Yorkshire with his confidence boosted owing to a disciplined display.
Deadline day signing from Levante, Chema Rodriguez could be in the squad for the first time having come through his first week's training.
Elsewhere, Aro Muric will almost certainly replace Samba, with Michael Dawson and Jack Robinson coming back into the back four, to join Joe Worrall.
Tiago Silva scored a fine winner in midweek, and the man who fashioned the opening for him, John Bostock, is likely to see himself replaced by Alfa Semedo, who was also impressive at Leeds.
Going forward, despite an impressive cameo appearance a week ago, Ameobi probably didn’t do enough to force his way into the league team above Albert Adomah on Tuesday evening, who will be keen to get one over on his old Aston Villa rivals.
Boyhood Villa fan Joe Lolley will come back into the side along with Lewis Grabban, with Lamouchi likely to keep faith with the starting XI that began proceedings at Elland Road.
Joao Carvalho, Ryan Yates, Yohan Benalouane, Tendayi Darikwa and Michael Hefele remain sidelined through injury, while Adlene Guedioura is on the verge of sealing a move away from the club.
Predicted line-up: Muric, Robinson, Dawson, Worrall, Cash, Watson, Semedo, Silva, Adomah, Lolley, Grabban
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