Viola test just the start for Forest ahead of European adventure

FOREST THE BETTER SIDE AS FIORENTINA OFFER TASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME NEXT TERM

- By JOSEPH CHAPMAN

NOTTINGHAM Forest's preseason preparations continued on Tuesday night with another goalless draw at the City Ground against Serie A outfit Fiorentina.

Forest have now drawn four of their friendlies in this preseason 0-0 and scored just a single goal in six games, with one more to play.

It was a night when fans saw new signings Jair Cunha, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus on home soil for the first time, and during which Nuno Espirito Santo was able to utilise 19 of his outfield players, who received valuable minutes before the Reds’ opener with Brentford a week on Sunday (August 17, 2pm).

Forest welcome Saudi Pro League Al Qadsiah to the City Ground for their final friendly this Saturday (7.45pm kickoff).

Here are the major talking points from Tuesday night.

A PERTINENT CHALLENGE

If, hypothetically, the Court of Arbitration for Sport were to decide Forest should return to the Conference League in the new season then the challenge put to them by Fiorentina this preseason couldn’t have been more appropriate.

They are veterans, if you can describe a team being such a thing in a competition so young, and they are in it again this year.

In the four years of its existence, the Viola have reached two finals and a semifinal, yet they have never lifted the trophy, losing to West Ham in 2023 and Olympiakos a year later.

Still, if you could’ve handpicked opponents, as Forest did - on a memorable evening for Nikola Milenkovic, against his former club - these would be high up on the list in preseason.

Of course, there is an obvious caveat; this was a friendly match, with nothing much on the line save for pride.

Still, Forest were the better of the two sides, just about, over the course of the 90 minutes and, certainly in the first half, looked far likelier to open the scoring.

The City Ground can get more used to nights like this, irrespective of the competition they’re in.

NEW SIGNINGS IMPRESS