Murillo injury update – Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest will make a late call on the fitness of defender Murillo for this weekend’s clash with Newcastle United.
The Reds will make the trip to the north east on Sunday (2pm kick-off) still searching for their first win under Ange Postecoglou.
And the head coach has some big selection decisions to make as he bids to turn the tide of recent results.
After being forced off with a thigh problem during Postecoglou’s first game in charge, Murillo made his return by being named in the starting line-up for Thursday night’s Europa League clash with FC Midtjylland.
But the Brazilian lasted less than half an hour against the Danish side before making way during the hosts’ 3-2 reverse.
“He just fell awkwardly and hurt his back, it seemed like,” Postecoglou said. “I think it was the first header he went up for and he just couldn’t move. It wasn’t even related to the previous injury.
“We’ll see. It was a different knock last night. He only had 20 minutes against Arsenal and similar last night, so it was disappointing to lose him.“He actually trained this morning and he looked okay, so I’m not really sure. We’ll wait and see.
“There’s a couple others who are a bit sore from last night. We’ll see how they are tomorrow before making decisions for Sunday.”
Forest are expected to still be without full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko (groin) and midfielder Douglas Luiz (hamstring) at St James’ Park.
Defender Ola Aina remains a long-term absentee with a hamstring issue.
Postecoglou’s record with the Reds to date reads lost four and drawn two. He heads into the final game before the international break on the back of Forest fans turning on him after the midweek defeat.
“Newcastle away is a tough game but it’s a great opportunity. If you can go there and get a result, it certainly will give everyone a lift and belief that we can turn our current situation around,” Postecoglou said.
“A tough game, for sure, it always is up there. The crowd get right behind them and it’s a cracking atmosphere. It’s an exciting fixture so I’m looking forward to it.”