Chris Hughton admits that he will have to make changes to his side in order to cope with Nottingham Forest's hectic fixture schedule.

A busy December is on the horizon for Hughton and his players, with Forest set to play eight times in the Championship next month.

This evening, they take on AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, three days on from their 2-0 away defeat to Barnsley at the weekend.

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A number of tough tests await Forest over the course of the next few weeks - they face five of the current top-six sides in their next five games, in Bournemouth, Swansea, Watford, Reading and Norwich.

After recently introducing a new rule allowing to make five substitutions and name nine players on the bench, Hughton will look to use his squad to full effect.

Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, Hughton said: "To a degree, it has to. With the volume of games that we have, all our team selections will get to the point where we do have to use the squad; where you do have to think of the type of game that it is.

"It is very difficult, as a manager in this division now, to continue to play the same team, with the volume of games that we have now.

"So yes, there will always be some influence from the opposition and by the fact that we have a quick turnaround."

Even without the likes of Lewis Grabban, Samba Sow, Joe Worrall, Michael Dawson and Tyler Blackett to choose from, Forest still have over 25 first-team players on the books.

The Verdict

There are so many games coming up for Forest, and they need to be at their best if they are to start climbing the table.

Thankfully, they have such a large squad and plenty of players to choose from, so they will be able to cope with such a congested fixture schedule.

Hughton hasn't been one to make too many changes to this side since he was appointed, but he may have to start doing so soon.