Nuno Must Now Unleash Elanga & Nottingham Forest’s ‘sensational’ Ace

Nottingham Forest face arguably the toughest test in club football this weekend when they take on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s team wants to get back to winning ways after a 2-0 defeat against Everton, who are also in danger of relegation.

The Reds have failed to win in their last three league games and find themselves dangerously close to the drop zone, while fears of a relatively quick return to the Championship are very real.

However, the chances of the Reds picking up three points on Sunday are extremely slim as the Premier League champions are unbeaten for 90 minutes since the start of December.

Forest picked up a crucial point against City last season after Chris Wood fired the ball into the goal from close range following a sensational team move involving every member of the Reds squad.

If Nuno’s side are to take anything from the game, they will need to get two players back into the starting lineup, with the duo deserving of a starting place after missing out against the Toffees last weekend.

Why Anthony Elanga has to start against City

After suffering a minor injury a few weeks ago, winger Anthony Elanga was unable to start the last two Premier League games but was able to come on as a substitute in the defeat at Goodison Park.

Gio Reyna replaced the Swede on the right attacking side but failed to make a real impact before making way for the former Manchester United player after just 53 minutes.

Elanga has scored five goals and provided eight assists in the Premier League this season, with the striker thriving from regular playing time following his move to the City Ground.

He should start based on his stats alone, but his “electric” pace on the counter-attack – as praised by pundit Paul Robinson – could cause City plenty of problems, particularly given Pep’s tendency to start with three centre-backs, potentially allowing for large gaps on both flanks.

Forest will likely sit behind the ball for most of the game and look to break when possible, but Nuno should also turn to another Reds player to combat the Citizens’ strong attacking line.

The man who supports Murillo against City

After returning to the starting line-up against Everton on Sunday, centre-back Moussa Niakhate struggled to deal with the aerial threat of Dominic Calvert-Lewin for much of the game.

The Senegalese defender only won 50% of his duels on Sunday, giving up the ball ten times and committing a single foul.

Niakhate, who like Murillo is left-footed, played on the unnatural right side of the centre-back pairing and struggled to make the impact he would normally have if playing in his usual role.

Nuno opted to drop Andrew Omobamidele for the crucial clash, a decision that proved costly given the Irishman’s influence alongside the Brazilian this season.

The “sensational“Talent, as author Brendan O’Brien calls it, has started eight Premier League games under Nuno and appears to be the perfect partner alongside Murillo in defense, providing balance and allowing the other to play to his natural side to appear in defense.

The former Norwich City player has proven to be an excellent addition to the Reds since his summer transfer, with the 21-year-old having the potential to become a long-term starter at the heart of Forest’s defence.

He has the potential to become a brilliant Premier League centre-back, but he needs consistent playing time to reach the heights that all Reds fans know he is capable of. Nuno must reunite the Irishman with Murillo ahead of the difficult test against City on Sunday evening.