Sky Bet Championship game live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event from 7pm on Tuesday
Tuesday 7 August 2018 22:55, UK
Hillal Soudani, Joe Worrall, Ben Brereton and Liam Bridcutt will hope to be involved when Nottingham Forest get their home campaign underway against West Brom on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm.
Such is the strength of Aitor Karanka's squad now, the quartet were not even among the substitutes for the first game of the season at Bristol City.
There could be changes to the Reds' starting line-up. Midfielder Joe Lolley impressed after he was introduced from the bench at Ashton Gate. Lewis Grabban is pushing to make his Forest debut. Daryl Murphy started up front on Saturday and justified his manager's decision to pick him by scoring the equaliser which earned his team a point.
A very strong West Brom side was surprisingly beaten at home by Bolton at the weekend and Baggies boss Darren Moore may make a couple of changes to his team.
Midfielders Gareth Barry and James Morrison are among those players who could come into Moore's thinking. Salomon Rondon was not involved against Bolton and the striker looks on the brink of completing a move to Newcastle.
That deal could be a loan swap involving Dwight Gayle coming the other way to The Hawthorns. Whether it happens in time for Gayle to be included in the West Brom squad at Forest on Tuesday night remains to be seen.
Nottingham Forest have not hosted West Brom in a league match since the second match of the 2009-10 campaign, losing 1-0.
West Brom have won their last three league visits to the City Ground without conceding a single goal, with current boss Darren Moore featuring in two of those wins (in March 2002 and November 2003).
The away side have won each of the last five meetings between these sides, a run stretching back to March 2002.
Nottingham Forest have lost their opening home league match of the season in just one of their last 21 seasons, with that defeat against West Brom in 2009-10; they've won each of their last six in a row.
Daryl Murphy has scored in four of his last five Championship appearances for Nottingham Forest in the month of August (four goals).
Outside the top flight, West Brom haven't lost their opening two league matches of a season since 2001-02 - they recovered from that start to gain promotion.
