The League Cup and the FA Cup have somewhat lost their meaning over the past few years.
Rather than being seen as two of England’s premier competitions, many teams take these matches as an opportunity to rotate their squads in order to focus on their respective leagues.
Second-stringers and youth players are often seen getting minutes in these games, but Nottingham Forest may still be able to field a strong squad while simultaneously rotating.
Many concerns have been raised about the size of Sabri Lamouchi’s squad, and you can see why.
Forest have 39 senior players on their books, and while that does have fans concerned about the wage bill and the potential implications of overspending, having a big squad can be a help when making a run in these cup competitions.
Rather than having to utilise players with hardly any experience and members of their U23 squad, Forest can call upon some solid players who just aren’t getting a look in at the moment.
The likes of Yohan Benalouane, Adlene Guediora and Claudio Yacob can be brought into the fold for these games, and these are players who have plenty of experience playing at the top level.
Not only will these players be able to outclass some lower league opposition and even some youth players that the top sides field. They will also have the hunger and desire to put on a good showing. They know that impressing in these games is their gateway back into the starting XI every week.
Forest’s squad is packed full of experienced and talented players to the point where it’s almost impossible for them to field a side that you wouldn’t fancy against any team that are rotating heavily or from a lower division.
The Reds may not win either cup competition this term, but don’t be surprised if they make a good run in one of them.