Spence gives boss Cooper an option

NOTTINGHAM Forest will be looking to see out 2021 in style when they play their final game of the year tomorrow night.

Huddersfield Town visit the City Ground, with Steve Cooper’s Reds eager to get back on track after a Boxing Day defeat.

Their 2-0 loss at Middlesbrough was only the second time they have been toppled since the Welshman took charge, but the manager will want to see a response after a particularly disappointing performance.

With that in mind, Cooper must decide to shuffle his pack or stick with almost the same 11 and give them an opportunity to put things right.

His options are limited due to injuries, but the return of Djed Spence will provide a welcome boost after the defender was ineligible to feature against his parent club.

Teenager Fin Back stepped in in Spence’s absence at the Riverside

Stadium but is almost certain to make way against the Terriers.

The midweek fixture could potentially be the right-back’s final run out in the Garibaldi as Boro weigh up whether to activate a January recall clause.

Perhaps the biggest dilemma Cooper faces is whether to start with a three-man defence, as he did on Sunday, or go with a back four.

Forest switched to a four in the second half at the Riverside and looked better for it. With Spence available again, however, going with wing-backs would help get the most out of the attacking threat he provides.

At the top end of the pitch, the head coach doesn’t have too many options to mix things up, but two players were handed rare run-outs in the north east.

Both Joao Carvalho and Xande Silva have struggled for game time this season, though they were called off the bench in a bid to turn the tide in Middlesbrough.

Whether either did enough to stake a claim for a first-team spot remains to be seen, however.

Silva did look bright and came as close as anyone among the Reds to finding the back of the net when he struck the post. His Portuguese team-mate, on the other hand, found it tough to get into the game.

Elsewhere, central midfield is perhaps the one area of the pitch where Cooper has a few players to choose from if he decides he wants to make a change.

Braian Ojeda and Cafu have both done well whenever they have played, providing competition for Ryan Yates and James Garner, with Jack Colback likely to fill in at leftback again.

Predicted Forest 11: Samba; Worrall, Figueiredo, Mckenna; Spence, Garner, Yates, Colback; Zinckernagel, Grabban, Johnson.