Steve Cooper issues Nottingham Forest injury updates ahead of Brighton and Liverpool tests

Forest travel to the Amex looking to snap an eight-match losing streak in the league. The Midlands outfit were beaten 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, leaving them rooted to the foot of the table.

Forest’s squad will be stretched to the limit this week, with the trip to Sussex quickly followed by a home game against a resurgent Liverpool this Saturday.

Serge Aurier and Renan Lodi are continuing their recovery from a muscle injury and an ankle sprain respectively, while Lewis O’Brien could return after missing the Wolves game due to illness.

Meanwhile, Omar Richards (hairline fracture of the leg) and Moussa Niakhate (hamstring injury) have been ruled out of Forest’s clashes against the Seagulls and the Reds.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Cooper said: “We picked up some injuries last week, and we’re still not ready to make a final decision on whether those lads are back yet.

“But it’s a three-game week, so that’s sometimes a chance to use more players than normal. We are giving a few every chance to be available.

“Serge has had a bit of an accelerated programme since he came in without really having a pre-season, doing a few days, then going on international duty and playing minutes there, which was important.

“He played in the Leicester and Villa games. But it has all happened a bit quick, and when you do that you do tend to pick up some niggles, which is what he has. It's a muscle injury, so we will see what today and tomorrow bring.

“Renan is more of a contact injury than a muscle injury. That is just trying to give him every chance for the kick and the swelling to come down. When that happens, you tend to progress quickly.

“Lewis was different. He was ill with a bug, which really knocked him back. Hopefully he can recover quickly by getting the right nutrition into him and getting the right training programme, because he is a really fit lad.

“But, for sure, we have options, even though we have picked up a few knocks in the last couple of weeks. Some players are getting a bit fitter and stronger as well - people like Orel Mangala. He’s had a couple of weeks without any disruption, which has been important because he’s had a frustrating six weeks or so since he got injured. He is getting stronger, with his training programme.

“All of these are things you always have to manage - injuries and availability - especially when they are games in quick succession. At the same time, we will try to do our work wisely and see where we are at come kick-off. We’ll look at what we think it takes to do well in the game, and try to pick the right team.”

“With it being Saturday-Tuesday, it’s definitely a possibility that we could look at making some changes. I haven’t made a final decision on that yet, because there’s still quite a bit of preparation to go before the game.”