Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper is concerned about Anthony Elanga’s fitness ahead of Sunday’s match against Liverpool.
The Reds travel to Anfield after a frustrating 2-2 draw at home to Luton Town. Forest have now gone five games without a win, having picked up 10 points from their first nine games.
Elanga contributed both assists against the Hatters but is questionable for this weekend’s game due to illness. If he doesn’t play, Cooper’s attacking options will be even more limited, as Divock Origi (hip) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (hamstring) both suffered injuries last week, and striker Taiwo Awoniyi has been out since suffering a groin problem against Brentford.
“Nobody is going to return to the starting line-up, which is obviously frustrating – particularly at the top end of the pitch, where we are not blessed with a lot of options because of player availability,” Cooper added. “Anthony has also been sick for a few days. He’ll be up and down for the game.
“If he is available, we are unsure whether he will be available to begin.” That would be unfortunate because he was excellent against Luton. When it comes to the physical aspect of things, Premier League games are extremely demanding, so he is in doubt.”
Forest are still without Gonzalo Montiel (calf), but fellow full-back Nuno Tavares (groin), midfielder Danilo (hamstring), and center-back Felipe (knee) have all trained this week. Felipe has yet to make an appearance for the first team this season, while Danilo has been sidelined since being forced off against Chelsea, and Tavares was substituted against Manchester City.
“They are back in part-training, not full training,” Cooper told reporters. “Danilo has been out for what feels like a long time, so we have to be very cautious about reintroducing him.”
“They participated in a couple of warm-ups and non-contact exercises.” Hopefully, this is the first step in their recovery.
