Nottingham Forest hope David Vaughan and Mustapha Carayol will be fit to face Cardiff City
By Sarah_Clapson | Posted: October 20, 2016
Nottingham Forest host Cardiff City on Saturday looking to put a miserable evening at Blackburn Rovers behind them. Sarah Clapson has the latest team news and looks ahead to the game.
Team news
The injury curse struck once again on Tuesday night. Just when Nottingham Forest should have been buoyed by the return of Britt Assombalonga, midfielders David Vaughan and Mustapha Carayol limped off down the touchline against Blackburn Rovers.
The duo however, do have a chance of being fit to face Cardiff City on Saturday, with head coach Philippe Montanier saying, "we will see tomorrow".
However, Pajtim Kasami and Nicolao Dumitru will be ready to step into the starting XI at the City Ground if necessary.
There will definitely be changes in defence, with Matt Mills and Hildeberto Pereira both suspended – the former having picked up his fifth booking of the season at Ewood Park and his team-mate being sent off late on.
Centre-back Michael Mancienne could, though, be a contender for a place in the squad; Montanier saying he is "close to returning" from a muscle injury.
Front man Assombalonga will be on the bench again, having played the final 15 minutes against Blackburn. The Reds striker made his comeback after being out for two months with hamstring and calf problems, but is not yet fit enough to start a game.
Last Friday's comprehensive 3-1 victory over Birmingham City may seem like a distant memory after Forest's midweek no-show at Blackburn. But the Reds desperately need to get back to that level of performance.
They would struggle to do much worse than the first 45 minutes on Tuesday. Lacklustre, vulnerable, devoid of ideas – it was in complete contrast to their impressive display against the Blues.
Before making the trip to Lancashire, head coach Philippe Montanier warned about the dangers of taking anything for granted against a struggling side. Blackburn proved him right, and now Forest face a similar scenario against Cardiff City.
Read more: Off-field issues are not behind poor performances, says Nottingham Forest skipper Chris Cohen
The Bluebirds also find themselves in the lower reaches of the Championship table, albeit they seem to be enjoying a honeymoon period since Neil Warnock took charge earlier this month.
This time, the Reds need to make sure they get a grip on the game from the off, having allowed Rovers to dictate the tempo from the start at Ewood Park.
Being at home will help. Forest have done well on their own turf so far this season.
But their biggest battle may well be in the players' minds. Montanier was at a loss to explain what happened in the first half against Blackburn, but whatever it was down to, the team did not look on their game.
They now need to ensure that result is firmly behind them and there is no lingering hangover carrying over to the weekend.
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