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Team News: Nottingham Forest without seven players for Ipswich clash, defender returns

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Nottingham Forest are without seven players for Saturday’s clash with Ipswich Town – Juan Rafael Fuentes (fitness), Sam Byram (fitness), Michael Dawson (hamstring), Tobias Figueiredo (leg), Michael Hefele (achilles), Hillal Soudani (knee), Lewis Grabban (ankle).

Jack Robinson returns from a two-game suspension, Matty Cash (achilles) is doubtful but will travel with the squad and Sam Byram is short of match fitness and could spent the rest of the month with Forest’s u23s.

Fuentes has only been at the club to continue his rehabilitation this season and looks unlikely to put on a Forest shirt again. As for Dawson, Martin O’Neill told Nottinghamshire Live that the 35-year-old is doing well in his recovery but isn’t ready to return to training.

Figueiredo is expected back at the end of the month. O’Neill said: “Tobias is making progress, but that is a little bit slower than we hoped. The news coming though is that he should be back with us at some point during the international break.”

Hefele and Soudani were ruled out for the season some time ago, but the latter has taken positive steps in his recovery and has been seen slowly running on grass. O’Neill has said it would be a major surprise for the striker to return before the campaign comes to a close, however.

Grabban has also been ruled out but could return after the international break to face Swansea City on March 30.

Read Crippy Cooke’s previous article

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Sports journalist who is an avid football fan, enjoys debunking transfer rumours, loves to write pieces about players out in the cold and takes a large amount of pride getting a predicted XI 100% correct.