Joao Carvalho made his long-awaited return against Preston North End on August 31 and could be handed his first start of the season against Swansea City on September 14. The Nottingham Forest midfielder was sidelined with an ankle injury that forced him to get specialist treatment over the summer, but he’s now available for Sabri Lamouchi and might be given the nod over Tiago Silva.
Carvalho has racked up just 22 minutes of football this season, coming off the bench against Preston, and already has an assist to his name. He’s already level with Silva who has made five more appearances and racked up 368 more minutes of playing time than the 22-year-old, so Lamouchi might have a selection headache this week. Last season, Carvalho contributed 12 goals in 38 league games and created 44 chances.
As per WhoScored, half of Carvalho’s assists last season were for Lewis Grabban, so the pair linking up would be a great benefit to Forest. The Reds are in good form of late, boasting a five-game unbeaten run in the Championship, but they’ve drawn three of those matches and have scored one or less goals on four occasions.
