Nottingham Forest will use Saturday’s friendly against Olympiacos as a step up in their preparations ready for the resumption of the season.
The Reds have less than a fortnight to go before they are back in competitive action, when they will be aiming to pick up from where they left off before the World Cup break. They have already taken on Stoke City and Atromitos as part of their preparations, and will round off a week-long training camp in Greece with a match at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium (5pm kick-off UK time).
Head coach Steve Cooper will treat the weekend’s game differently to the first two run-outs, viewing it as a serious test for his side - as will be the case with next Friday’s friendly against Valencia. He hopes the two matches will see his team perfectly prepared for the Carabao Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers on December 21, followed by the trip to face Manchester United six days later.
READ MORE: Cooper sets out challenge for new Forest signing Gustavo Scarpa
READ MORE: Scarpa, Cooper's chat, Johnson - What we spotted in Forest training in Greece
“The first two games were training games. We treated them as training exercises, playing at Loughborough and at the training ground,” Cooper said.
“This is our first real friendly, if you like, and a competitive game. It’s going to be great.
“We’ve been training in the stadium. I think it’s great for the ownership to have both clubs here. It was our idea to come here.
“We know we will be playing against a team which is used to being successful and competing in European football. It’s going to be a challenge that we need - and with the experience of playing in this stadium with the atmosphere.
“We’ve got this game and the game against Valencia as tough challenges, which is what we need to try our best to be absolutely game-ready for the Blackburn game and the return of the Premier League.
“We’ve had a good preparation period with a couple of training games. Training has been excellent. But we need these couple of games to get ready.”
How are you feeling about the second half of the season for Forest? Have your say in the comments below
READ NEXT
