Chris Wood has been in magnificent form this season, but has missed the last two games.
Nottingham Forest are edging closer to what would be an unexpected – but throughly deserved – return to the Champions League. They are currently third, and four points clear of fourth-placed Chelsea, with just seven games left, and it looks like Nuno Espirito Santo will be bringing continental football back to the City ground for the first time since 1996.
They next come up against a resurgent Everton, who under David Moyes look to have secured their Premier League status for another year – just in time for their move to the brand new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. Forest will be aiming to pick up yet another three points, but will their main talisman be fit to face the Toffees?
Is Chris Wood available this weekend?
Chris Wood is enjoying a personal best Premier League season, with the 18 goals he has scored four better than any campaign he has previously had. He has only ever scored more in a league campaign once in his career when he netted 27 times for Leeds in the 2016/17 Championship season.
He hasn't featured in either of Nottingham Forest's last two games after suffering a hip injury, and Nuno is hoping to have him back as soon as possible.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno said: “We are still assessing all of them [Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga & Taiwo Awoniyi]. They are struggling with problems – some small, some not so small – but we have to assess them. We have one more day and then we’ll see if they can be available for the game.
“On all of them [I am hopeful]. It can be all of them, it can be none. We don’t know. It depends on how they recover and how they feel. It’s about that."
After facing Everton, Forest face two trips to north London, once to face Tottenham, and then to Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City. The fixture may therefore come too soon for Wood as Forest look to head to Wembley in the best shape possible.
