For the first time in years there's not just hope around the City Ground, but a genuine optimism that this could be their year.

Aitor Karanka is a manager who has already plotted a course out of the Championship with Middlesbrough and he's now in charge at Forest with not only the method, but also the means.

The Midlands club have slept for far too long but this season, more than any other, is one to get fans excited. It's easy to be full of hope before the big kick off, but come August 4th all eyes will be on the two-time European Champions, with good reason.

Player recruitment is key and in Joao Carvalho, they've recruited well. For £13.2m he has to perform, but there's nothing to suggest the talented midfielder won't do that. He's 21-years old and likes to play in the advanced playmaker role. He's shaping up to be the Ruben Neves of the new season, the foreign talent driving a once-proud English giant back to the top flight after hard times. Can lightning strike twice? Forest certainly hope so.

The one to watch in Forest's side is loan signing Gil Dias. He's come on a season-long loan from Monaco and played Serie A football for Fiorentina last time around. Throw in a stunning pre-season goal and bags of promise and it might be hard to not watch the tricky wide man. If Carvalho is the star man, Dias is one who will hope to get fans on their feet just as much. Between them, they can provide the bullets for the forwards to fire, as well as chip in themselves.

Whilst the big names keep rolling in, Aitor Karanka is in no mood to assume names win games. He's already stating that it isn't just about who he sings, but about the attitude they show. He's right of course, all the best players in the world might not make a team, but with his track record and the skills on show in red this year, they've got every chance of finishing in the top two.

Sky Bet agree too, they've got Forest down as fourth favourites for promotion at this stage. They're priced at 3/1 currently, behind Stoke, West Brom and Middlesbrough, but in the eyes of many pundits they're favourites.

Tuesday August 7th will give them a chance to test themselves against one of the fancied sides as West Brom visit the City Ground. That follows a tough opener away at promotion hopefuls Bristol City, but with reading and Wigan up after that there should be eight or nine points from the first four games. Birmingham and Brentford complete their opening matches and by the time September arrives, we'll know if the optimism is well placed.

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