The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-2 draw against Notts County last Wednesday, while Valencia were defeated 5-2 by VFB Stuttgart in their recent outing.
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Nottingham Forest will host Valencia in their final pre-season friendly of the summer at the Meadow Lane on Saturday. The hosts are heading into the match on the back of a 2-2 draw against Notts County last Wednesday, while Valencia were defeated 5-2 by VFB Stuttgart in their recent outing. Nottingham Forest had an impressive 2021-22 season, securing fourth place finish in the Championship before getting the better of Sheffield United and Huddrsfield in the playoffs to earn promotion to the Premier League. Valencia, on the other hand, didn’t have a great La Liga campaign last term, finishing ninth in the standings, with 48 points, nine points adrift of the final European spot. Â
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? Meadow Lane
⏱ Kick-off 6pm
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— Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) July 30, 2022
The Reds have had a mixed pre-season so far, recording two wins, two draws and two defeats. In the last game against Notts County, Cafu and Sam Surridge netted for the Tricky Trees to earn a draw. Prior to that, Steve Cooper’s side suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat at Union Berlin. Forest hand already spent GBP 70 million this summer to bolster their squad, bringing in 11 players, out of which 10 have been permanent transfers while Dean Henderson has joined the club from Manchester United on a loan deal. After the game against Valencia, Forest will begin their 2022-23 Premier League season with a trip to Newcastle United on August 6.
Valencia, on the other hand, will also play one more friendly against Atalanta next weekend, before beginning their new La Liga season at home against Girona on August 14. Los Che began their pre-season with two successive wins against Borussia Dortmund (3-1) and St. Gallen (2-0) before losing to Stuttgart. Last Saturday, at Mercedes-Benz Arena, Marcos Andre netted a brace for the Spanish outfit but a double from Tiago Tomas and one strike each from Silas Mvumpa and Darko Churlinov handed Valencia their first defeat of the summer. Former Italian midfielder Gattuso took charge of the team last month, becoming the club’s 15th manager since the arrival of owner Peter Lim in 2014. Hugo Duro and Samu Castillejo are the only two summer-signings.Â
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 Nottingham Forest’ new recruit Omar Richards is set to be sidelined for a long period after sustaining a hairline fracture in his leg. Cooper could opt for a strong starting lineup as Saturday’s game would be their final friendly of the summer. Jesse Lingard is expected to play a key role in the attacking third behind striker-partners Johnson and Awoniyi. O’Brien and Colback could pull the strings in the midfield, with Toffolo and Williams occupying the flanks. As for Valencia, goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen could occupy the goal, with Paulista and Diakhaby sitting in front of him in the heart of the defence. Guedes, Duro and Castillejo are likely to form the attacking-trio.
Nottingham Forest probable starting lineup: Henderson; Worrall, Cook, Niakhate; Williams, O’Brien, Colback, Toffolo; Lingard; Johnson, Awoniyi
Valencia probable starting lineup: Cillessen; Correia, Paulista, Diakhaby, Gaya; Soler, Guilamon, Musah; Guedes, Duro, Castillejo
The pre-season friendly match between Nottingham Forest and Valencia will take place at Meadow Lane on Saturday at 10:30 pm IST.
The live coverage of the match is available Movistar+ and valenciacf.com.Â
