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Nottingham Forest are set to take on Southampton in the Premier League on Monday night in what is a mammoth game in the relegation battle. Steve Cooper’s side are currently in 18th position in the league table but know that a point would lift them above Leeds United after the Whites lost away at Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
However, Forest will be after more than just a point given the fact they are facing a team rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. Considering their only remaining home game after this one sees Arsenal visit the City ground, this is comfortably their best opportunity to get a much-needed win out of their remaining four games.
For Southampton, this match is unquestionably their final roll of the dice. The Saints are six points from safety and need a miracle to stay up from here. However, a win on Monday night would at least give them a glimmer of hope, particularly if Everton and Leicester City fail to win their respective matches against Brighton and Fulham.
The match is set to kick off at 20:00 UK time and viewers will be able to watch the match live on SkySports Main Event and SkySports Premier League.
Nottingham Forest Team News: Injuries continue to stack up
Nottingham Forest’s injury woes worsened further during the 2-1 defeat to Brentford last weekend with Danilo and Brennan Johnson both sustaining injuries. Speaking about the pair during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Cooper was unsure if either man would be fit for the game with Forest but remained hopeful.
Steve Cooper on Danilo injury: "It’s not as bad as we feared. Scan results were fairly positive. We hope he will return sooner rather than later." #NFFC [NottinghamshireLive] pic.twitter.com/pxXe5cXKCY
— Forest Watch (@ForestWatch_) May 5, 2023
If they don’t make it, then Jesse Lingard could come in to replace Johnson while Ryan Yates, who is finally fit again after overcoming his own injury problems, will be the favourite to replace Danilo in midfield.
Several other first-team players, including Biacone, Henderson, Wood, Mckenna, Boly, Williams, Richards and Scarpa will definitely miss the game. Dean Henderson has been ruled out for the season which could mean he has played his last game for the club with the goalkeeper set to return to his parent club, Manchester United, in the summer. Speaking about the 26-year-old, Cooper said:
“He is a real good professional, he really cares and he has a fantastic mentality of winning and wanting to be the best. We have really enjoyed working with him and are grateful for what he has given to us.”
Southampton Team News: Ruben Selles faces goalkeeper dilemma
Southampton boss, Ruben Selles, has been desperately tinkering with his team in recent weeks as he has desperately searched for something to breathe life into his flailing squad. One move has been to drop goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu, and replace him with the more experienced, Alex McCarthy.
McCarthy has enjoyed several spells as the Southampton number one goalkeeper over the years and Selles clearly felt that his reliability and experience in between the stick could prove to be invaluable. Ahead of the game on Monday night, Selles will likely stick with McCarthy as he searches for a way to secure a clean sheet.
💬 Ruben Selles on Alex McCarthy: "He's been going well, he's an important player for us, important for the dressing room and important for the way we play."#saintsfc
[echo] pic.twitter.com/mUFSYBm4ZM— Southampton FC Updates (@TheSaintCentre) May 5, 2023
In terms of injuries, the Saints will be without Romain Perraud, Juan Larios, Mahoammed Salisu and Valentino Livramento meaning they will have the same player available to them as they had for the game at St James’ Park last weekend.
Once again, Southampton will be banking on the set-piece magic of James Ward-Prowse, who will surely leave the club in the summer, to get them a goal which means a recall for Che Adams could be on the cards. The 26-year-old hasn’t scored since the middle of March but he is arguably still a better option up front than Mousa Djenepo.
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