Nottingham Forest lost 4-1 to Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Algarve as the Reds fell to their first defeat of pre-season

Nottingham Forest celebrate Igor Jesus’ goal against Sporting Lisbon(Image: Getty)

There has been a lot to like about Nottingham Forest in the opening stages of pre-season, but there is also plenty of work still to be done – both on and off the pitch.

Even after last week’s 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, Oliver Glasner was clear the Reds had some way to go to get where he wants them to be. He has talked about wanting to strengthen the squad, too.

Sporting Lisbon at the Estadio Algarve represented a step up in opposition for Glasner’s men. In a tale of two halves, they showed some good bits going forward before the break but were undone defensively in the second 45 minutes as they began to tire.

Glasner will learn a lot from his team’s 4-1 defeat against a strong side playing a week out from the start of their season. Forest, by contrast, have another three weeks to go before their Premier League kick-off against Leeds United.

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Friday night’s friendly brought the curtain down on the Reds’ 12-day camp in Portugal, with the time in the Algarve invaluable for the new head coach and his charges. As they return to the UK, the Nottingham Post looks at some of the big talking points from their loss to Sporting…

Diomande question

All eyes were on the Sporting squad as much as Forest’s line-up on the night. Would Ousmane Diomande be involved?

The Reds hope to get a deal over the line for the centre-back, but it didn’t happen in time for him to pull on the Garibaldi. Will he return with the squad on the plane, though?!

Earlier in the day, reports in the Portuguese press indicated Diomande would not feature for Sporting and even suggested he would not travel to the game. His move to the City Ground being in the final stages was stated as the reason for his anticipated absence.

As predicted, the Ivory Coast international was not included on the team-sheet. The next time he takes to a pitch, will it be for Forest? The signs point to that being the case.

Reinforcements required

The Reds lined up with a back three of Zach Abbott, Nikola Milenkovic and Jair Cunha on the night. Only one of that trio is likely to start on August 22.

As per the above, Forest will hope Milenkovic has Diomande alongside him come the season opener with Leeds. They will hope Murillo is fully fit by then, too, as the Brazilian continues his recovery from injury.

Sporting scored some good goals to clinch their victory, but they were avoidable ones from the Reds’ perspective. It showed why centre-back is an area they want to strengthen by targeting Diomande.

Up front is also a key position where additional resources are being sought. Chris Wood couldn’t take advantage of a few decent opportunities on this occasion, and there remains a question mark over whether he can hit the heights of his 2024/25 20-goal haul again.

Assessing Forest’s strength in depth, it is no surprise another midfielder and a full-back complete the club’s shopping list. Neco Williams and Ola Aina demonstrated they can both operate on either flank by switching from one side to the other mid-game as they continue to adjust to the wing-back roles, but competition is needed in that department.

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Jesus shines

Glasner recognises the importance of confidence when it comes to strikers. As much as Igor Jesus is viewed as someone more cut out for one of the two No.10 roles than as a contender to lead the line, it can only help that he is on fire so far this summer.

When he poked the ball home inside two minutes, after a Wood effort had been parried, it made it four goals in four outings for the Brazilian. He is flying at the minute.

In a sit-down interview with the Nottingham Post during the Portuguese camp, Jesus spoke about how he is confident he will be better for the experience of last season. He barely had a break between finishing competing in the Club World Cup with Botafogo and then being thrown straight in at the deep end in English football.

Wood being injured for a long chunk of time meant he bore the responsibility of being the main man up front. He looks much more comfortable without that pressure on his shoulders and is setting himself up perfectly for a good year ahead.

Glasner’s options

Like Jesus, James McAtee seems set to put a challenging first year at Forest behind him. He appears to have bulked up over the summer and has started pre-season in fine form.

Glasner has clearly wanted to get a good look at him in a deeper role, with the former Manchester City man again taking up that spot against Sporting. It looks like he could be an option there, particularly while the club continue to chase another midfielder.

The starting XI played the full 90 minutes on Friday night in what will have been a useful test physically, tactically and mentally. Other players had got minutes earlier in the day in a behind closed doors fixture with Portimonense SAD which resulted in a 2-1 win courtesy of goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and Xaver Schlager.

The team that lost to Sporting will not be the same as lines up against Leeds. With any luck, Schlager will not be the only summer signing in the mix by that point, and the likes of Murillo and Ibrahim Sangare will also be involved.

Glasner has been able to do a lot of important work with his players in Portugal – in games, on the training ground and away from the pitch. Losing for the first time in pre-season to strong opponents will only add to the learning curve.

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