Nottingham Forest boss Aitor Karanka is delighted with how his side have adapted to the different challenges that the Championship has thrown up so far this season.

Despite defeat against Preston last time out that moved the Reds down to seventh in the league, Forest are certainly in the hunt for promotion ahead of a huge game against East Midlands rivals Derby County on Monday.

That is the first of five games by New Year's Day but Karanka told Nottingham Live that his side have enough about them to cope with the contrasting styles they will face in that time:

"It is a mix of everything. There are games like the one against Ipswich when we needed to keep the ball – and we did that. But there will be games where we will be more defensive; where we will wait for our opponent and for a moment to take advantage.

"The main thing is that the team can play in both ways. We can dominate with the ball or we can be organised and wait for an opportunity."

Forest know they can leapfrog their bitter rivals and jump back into the top six with a first victory at Pride Park since 2015, with just three points separating the clubs but the Reds have a superior goal difference.

The Verdict

This is a fair assessment from Karanka as Forest are capable of playing in different ways, which is down to the fact they have a huge squad.

He has players he can call on for certain games that will do a job and that helps massively over the course of the season.

Now though, the focus is on beating Derby in a fixture that means so much to the supporters.

Thoughts, Forest fans? Let us know in the comments below.