Head coach Steve Cooper has named his Nottingham Forest team for this evening’s Carabao Cup clash against Grimsby Town.
The Reds are at Blundell Park for the second round tie (7.45pm kick-off), making the trip on the back of an encouraging start to the Premier League season. They made it four points from their opening three games with a 1-1 draw at Everton on Saturday.
And Cooper has made clear he is taking the League Cup seriously, with his focus on ensuring his players have a winning mentality. It is a much-changed line-up which faces the Mariners, however, as the Forest boss bears in mind a tough week of fixtures coming up.
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Six players are handed their full debuts as Cooper names a completely different XI from the one which started at Goodison Park. Wayne Hennessey, Giulian Biancone, Cheikhou Kouyate, Remo Freuler, Aaron Donnelly and Emmanuel Dennis all start for the Reds for the first time.
Biancone, Kouyate and Loic Mbe Soh make up the back three ahead of goalkeeper Hennessey. Alex Mighten and Donnelly look set to take up the wing-back spots.
Ryan Yates continues his return from injury, having made his first appearance of the season at the weekend, by starting alongside summer signing Freuler in the centre of the pitch. Cafu is likely to take up the no.10 role, supporting strikers Dennis and Sam Surridge.
Cooper takes the opportunity to include a number of youngsters in his squad. The bench is made up of Jordan Smith, Zach Abbott, Alex Gibson-Hammond, Billy Fewster, Ollie Hammond, Dale Taylor and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Forest: Hennessey; Biancone, Kouyate, Mbe Soh; Mighten, Freuler, Yates, Donnelly; Cafu; Surridge, Dennis. Subs: Smith, Abbott, Gibson-Hammond, Fewster, Hammond, Taylor, Awoniyi.
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