Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham: Clash of Injuries and Opportunities

Nottingham Forest head into Saturday’s clash with Tottenham with the wind at their backs and the treatment room finally easing, while Spurs arrive bruised, goalless and short of key weapons.

The contrast is stark. Forest have Ibrahim Sangaré back and Daniel Muñoz cleared for a debut. Tottenham travel without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, still hunting their first point – and first goal – of the Premier League season.

At the City Ground, it feels like an opportunity Forest have been waiting for.

Glasner Gets His Midfield Enforcer – and a New Old Face

Oliver Glasner’s week got better with one simple update: Sangaré is fit.

The midfielder missed the 2-2 draw at Liverpool with a minor calf issue picked up in training, but has been passed ready to return. For a Forest side that wants to squeeze and scrap in the middle of the pitch, his presence changes the tone of the game.

Then comes the intriguing part. Muñoz is available for his first Forest appearance since arriving from Crystal Palace on August 31. The Colombian has already had nose surgery after the 2026 World Cup and will play in a protective mask if selected. His pre-season has been short, his fitness still a work in progress, but Glasner has made it clear: he’s in contention.

This is not a new partnership. Glasner and Muñoz know each other well from their time together at Crystal Palace, where they stacked up silverware – the 2025 FA Cup, the Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League. On the biggest day of that run, Muñoz set up the winning goal against Manchester City in the FA Cup final and walked away with man-of-the-match honours.

Now they reunite in Nottingham, with a chance to make a fast impact in a game loaded with narrative.

Not every update is rosy for Forest. Nicolo Savona remains sidelined, still working his way back from the knee injury he suffered in January. The Italian wing-back has rejoined partial training but will not feature against Tottenham. Glasner is targeting a full return to training around the international break.

Even so, compared to what Roberto De Zerbi is juggling, Glasner’s situation looks almost luxurious.

De Zerbi’s Spurs Still Short-Changed by Injuries

Tottenham’s team sheet tells the story of a club trying to reset under a new manager with half the deck missing.

Maddison is back on the grass after his shoulder fracture, but not back in the squad. De Zerbi has ruled him out of the trip to the City Ground, denying Spurs their chief creator at a time when they have yet to score a league goal.

Kulusevski’s frustration continues too. The Swede has returned to full team training after more than a year out with a serious kneecap injury, yet Tottenham are refusing to gamble. He stays sidelined for now, the club taking a long view rather than chasing a short-term fix.

Odobert and Simons are also still out as they work through their own knee problems. For a side already struggling in attack, that cluster of absentees bites hard.

The timing could hardly be worse. Tottenham opened the season with a 3-0 defeat to Brentford and a 2-0 loss at Newcastle. No points. No goals. Plenty of questions.

The numbers carry a sting. Spurs have not started a league campaign with two defeats and no goals since 1974-75. They have only once gone three league games at the start of a season without scoring. Step onto the pitch at the City Ground and fail to find the net, and this group will be etched into the wrong kind of club history.

A Glimmer for Spurs: Sávio and New Blood

There is, at least, one shaft of light in De Zerbi’s injury bulletin.

Sávio is fit again after missing the Newcastle defeat with muscle fatigue. His return gives Tottenham a much-needed injection of pace and unpredictability in the final third, exactly what a side starved of goals is crying out for.

New signings Omar Marmoush and Mathys Tel are also available. Both offer fresh attacking options and, crucially, different profiles for De Zerbi to work with as he searches for a combination that finally cracks a defence.

One familiar name will not be involved. Richarlison has been left out of Tottenham’s registered Premier League squad and is training separately as the club looks to move him on. Interest from Saudi Arabia and Turkey is on the table as those transfer windows remain open, and the Brazilian’s future is being resolved away from the matchday spotlight.

So Spurs arrive light on established stars, heavy on transition, and still waiting for their season to start.

History Beckons at the City Ground

Forest, by contrast, walk into this fixture with history in their sights.

They have beaten Tottenham in each of the last four Premier League meetings, including victories in December 2025 and March 2026. Spurs, once the dominant name in this pairing, have become the side Forest circle on the calendar.

Five in a row? That has never happened before in this fixture. One more win at a raucous City Ground would set a new club record against Tottenham.

With Sangaré back to anchor the midfield, Muñoz ready to pull on a mask and step into a familiar system, and a wounded Spurs side chasing their first goal of the campaign, the stage is set.

Is this the day Forest write a new line in their history – or the afternoon Tottenham finally wake up and tear up the script?