The big Nottingham Forest decisions facing Steve Cooper ahead of Blackpool clash

The international break came at a good time for Nottingham Forest who had been highly occupied with their impressive FA Cup run of late. 

Just prior to the international break, Forest’s cup run came to an end after a close 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.

This now leaves Steve Cooper’s men with ten games left to play in the hope of securing a place in the play-offs, where they currently sit three points away from.

They start this run of games with a trip to Blackpool this weekend as they aim to start a strong string of results to end the season.

Here, we look at two potential dilemmas facing Steve Cooper ahead of the game.

The return of Lewis Grabban

Forest captain Lewis Grabban has been out since the end of January after suffering an ankle injury.

Initially, the severity of the injury was unknown but it was revealed that he wouldn’t require surgery and could be back in early April.

Now, it looks like the forward may be back earlier than expected and Cooper recently told Nottinghamshire Live: “Hopefully soon after the international break we’ll be seeing him again.”

Therefore, although there’s no time scale on this it means that Grabban could be available for Saturday’s game.

The idea that he would start seems too much given how long he has been out but Cooper will have the choice of if and when he would become involved should he be available.

There is no doubt that the 34-year-old will be an important player in the final run of the season for Nottingham Forest, but this also means Steve Cooper will be apprehensive about bringing the player back too early at the risk of him getting injured again and being out longer term as a consequence.

Defensive set-up

Throughout March, Cooper had been opting for a back three with the