When Forest return to action in the EFL Cup, it will be perceived that they have momentum behind them after victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.
However, that is not necessarily the case with Steve Cooper’s team having now lost three successive friendly fixtures, the most recent defeat coming versus Olympiacos.
Pajtim Kasami netted the only goal of the game against a strong Forest XI which featured many of Cooper’s regulars from domestic action during 2022-23.
With defeats also coming against Stoke City and Atromitos, Cooper will be increasingly eager to end their mid-season break on a high note against arguably their toughest opposition on the schedule.
Valencia are behind Forest in terms of their schedule ahead of resuming competitive matches, La Liga not getting back underway until the New Year.
The break arguably came at the wrong time for Gennaro Gattuso’s team after they posted four points from meetings with Real Sociedad and Real Betis to move back into the mid-table spots.
Valencia prevailed from the latter by a 3-0 scoreline, and they picked up where they left off in a friendly with Clermont on December 9, securing a 4-2 triumph.
Samu Castillejo netted two of the goals, matching the amount of strikes that he has netted in Spain’s top flight this campaign.
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After this encounter, Valencia face one final encounter with AZ in a bid to prepare themselves for the trip to Villarreal on New Year’s Eve
Cooper will make numerous changes to his Forest XI, Morgan Gibbs-White the most likely to drop to the substitutes’ bench after playing 82 minutes versus Olympiacos.
New addition Gustavo Scarpa featured for the remaining 29 minutes of that fixture and may be provided with a start in midfield.
Joe Worrall, Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis are also in line for starts, with Brennan Johnson potentially only being selected as a substitute having played over an hour last time out after representing Wales at the World Cup.
