Nottingham Forest will be looking to build upon their recent victory over Peterborough United this evening by securing a positive result in their showdown with Fulham.

The Reds managed to seal all three points at the Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday thanks to an effort from forward Sam Surridge in the first-half of this fixture.

Currently fourth in the Championship standings, the Reds could move to within striking distance of AFC Bournemouth tonight if they beat Fulham and Scott Parker's side slip up in their meeting with Swansea City.

However, when you consider that the Cottagers may be able to clinch the second-tier title in front of their supporters this evening, Forest know that they will need to be at their very best in this fixture.

Having witnessed his side's display against Peterborough, it will be intriguing to see whether Reds head coach Steve Cooper opts to make any alterations to his team for their trip to Craven Cottage.

Here, we have decided to take a look at two Forest selection dilemmas Cooper is facing ahead of this clash...

Could Steve Cook make his return to the club's starting eleven in this fixture?

After securing a move to the City Ground in the January transfer window, Steve Cook initially made a positive start to life at Forest as he made 10 consecutive starts for the club in the Championship.

Unfortunately for Cook, he was forced to watch on from the sidelines for five league games after sustaining an ankle injury last month.

Having made his return to action in the closing stages of Forest's recent victory over West Bromwich Albion, the defender will be pushing for a place in the club's starting eleven ahead of tonight's fixture.

Whereas Joe Worrall and Scott McKenna are both expected to feature against Fulham, Cooper may be tempted to draft in Cook as a replacement for Tobias Figueiredo.

Cook is currently averaging a better WhoScored match rating (7.13) than Figueiredo (6.74) in the second-tier and knows what it takes to succeed at this level as he has made 142 appearances in this division during his career.

Will Cafu be given the opportunity to impress against the Cottagers?

Cafu has been used exclusively as a substitute by Cooper since the turn of the year in the Championship.

 

 

In the six games that he has featured in at this level in 2022, the midfielder has shown some signs of promise.

During the club's clash with Queens Park Rangers last month, Cafu set up Brennan Johnson's goal as Forest sealed a 3-1 victory over Mark Warburton's side.

Whereas he is unlikely to be handed a start by Cooper in tonight's game, he could be given the opportunity to impress in a cameo role at Craven Cottage depending on how the match pans out.