Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich Town. Sky Bet Championship.
The City GroundAttendance25,093.
Friday 13 April 2018 14:49, UK
Nottingham Forest boss Aitor Karanka could look to freshen up the attack after six matches without a goal for the visit of Ipswich.
Striker Daryl Murphy has been carrying a calf injury, which again saw him miss the midweek 1-0 home defeat to Brentford. Greek forward Apostolos Vellios dropped to the bench against the Bees, with 18-year-old Ben Brereton being given a chance to lead the attack.
Midfielder David Vaughan continues to battle a persistent ankle problem which has sidelined him since the end of January, while club captain Chris Cohen (knee) also continues his rehabilitation.
Bryan Klug will take charge of Ipswich following the early departure of out-going manager Mick McCarthy following the midweek win over Barnsley. Klug, who stepped up from his role as Town's academy head of coaching and player development, has recalled defender Chris Smith from a loan spell at Chelmsford City, so the 20-year-old goes straight into the squad.
Teenager Barry Cotter made his debut at right-back against Barnsley, so could be handed another chance to impress as Adam Webster is carrying a hamstring problem and captain Luke Chambers has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a cracked rib.
Forwards David McGoldrick (groin) and Joe Garner (minor skull fracture) are both recovering from long-term injuries, along with goalkeeper Dean Gerken (hip), Emyr Huws and Andre Dozzell (both knee).
Forest are unbeaten in 12 home league matches against Ipswich (W6 D6).
Ipswich's last league double over Nottingham Forest was in the 1999/2000 campaign.
In his last 28 league matches as a manager, Aitor Karanka has seen his side fail to score in 20 of those matches, including 11 of his 15 as Forest manager (9 of last 13 with Middlesbrough).
Martyn Waghorn has been involved in 22 league goals this season (14 goals, 8 assists), the best tally by an Ipswich player since 2014-15 (Daryl Murphy, 33).
Forest have lost 10 home league matches in a season for just the third time in the last 46 seasons (also 1992-93 and 2011-12).
This will be Ipswich's first match without Mick McCarthy in charge since a 3-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in October 2012 under then caretaker Chris Hutchings.
