, Fit-again Nottingham Forest star in squad to face Blackburn

Fit-again Nottingham Forest star in squad to face Blackburn

Nottingham Forest head coach Philippe Montanier has confirmed that striker Britt Assombalonga will be in the squad that takes on Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park tonight. The 23-year-old striker has been out of action since August with a combination of hamstring and calf injuries.

The former Peterborough United man has only played three games this season, but has still managed to return three goals during that time. His last appearance and goal scored came in the 4-3 home victory over Wigan Athletic. Although Montanier says he will be back in the squad tonight, he will be among the substitutes.

Assombalonga making his return is timely considering the injury sustained by Nicklas Bendtner, which has subsequently ruled him out for possibly up to six weeks. Montanier says that Assombaloga has been making it known that he is back to full fitness,

“Britt can go with the squad to Blackburn. He’s not ready to play 90 minutes but he can be on the bench to help the team out for several minutes.

“He has looked good in training. Every day he comes to see me and says, ‘gaffer, I’m ready, I’m ready’. I say, ‘yes, yes, I know!’.

“Of course I would prefer to have Britt available for 90 minutes, but it is logical to take no risks with him. The most important thing is he has trained normally and without pain.

“Britt has the ability to score and to go forward quickly, so even though we cannot use him for 90 minutes, we will be able to use him for several minutes.”

Apostolos Vellios will start as the lone striker in the absence of Bendtner, whilst Assombalonga is likely to make his long-awaited comeback at some point in the second half.

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