Nottingham Forest have kicked-off preparations for their next Premier League match against Leicester City, with Steve Cooper working with his players who are not on international duty.
The Reds travel to the King Power Stadium for the first time since 2013, looking to add further misery to their East Midlands rivals and Brendan Rodgers. The Foxes are currently rock bottom of the Premier League table after losing six of their opening seven games.
With many of Forest's players currently away on international duty, work has been going on at the club's training ground with those who remained behind as they look to end their run of four straight defeats. NottinghamshireLive rounds up all the things that have been spotted in training this week.
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Joe Worrall injury update
Firstly, captain Worrall was spotted wearing a face mask during training at The Nigel Doughty Academy. The 25-year-old was dropped for the first time this season in the Reds' previous game against Fulham, with summer signing Willy Boly preferred over him by Cooper.
Worrall was on the pitch for 27 minutes and left at the full-time whistle with a bloody nose and cotton wool up his nostrils after colliding with Aleksandar Mitrovic. The defender continued despite the incident and is now sporting a face mask.
Loic Bade involved ahead of debut
New signing Bade is yet to make his Forest debut after signing from Rennes at the start of the month. The defender failed to make the squad for Bournemouth or Fulham, but could be set to make his bow against Leicester after being pictured in training.
Bade was seen posing with Boly and involved in a small-sided game. The 22-year-old could be called upon in the next game, with Forest conceding 12 goals in their previous three matches.
The return of Omar Richards
Another summer signing yet to make his first appearance for the club, left-back Richards looks to be back in training after recovering from a hairline fracture of the leg. The former Bayern Munich defender has been sidelined since pre-season and returns to training a month after Cooper provided an update on the Englishman.
Richards provides competition to Harry Toffolo and Renan Lodi at left wing-back, a key role in Cooper's system. Despite returning, there was no image of the 24-year-old involved in any team activities or with the ball.
Cafu involved despite key decision
One player's future at the City Ground that has been uncertain is midfielder Cafu. The Portuguese was excluded from Forest's 25-man Premier League squad, alongside Lyle Taylor, despite playing in the 1-0 victory over West Ham at the start of the season.
Cafu has remained part of the first team during the international break to add numbers to the session. While unable to feature in the Premier League, he is able to be part of matchday squads for the EFL Cup and FA Cup. However, it remains unclear where his future lies.
Under-21 promotion
With Taiwo Awoniyi, Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson away with their nations, under-21 striker Julian Larsson has joined Cooper's squad for this week's training.
The 21-year-old has scored nine goals and assisted a further five for the Reds' development side since joining from Swedish side AIK, but is yet to make his first team debut at the club. The striker was pictured heavily involved in a small-sided game and is expected to be part of the squad for Monday's game with Sunderland U21 (7pm).
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