Nottingham Forest dealt main Chris Wood blow forward of FA Cup quarter-final conflict with Brighton

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a huge Chris Wood blow ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final clash with Brighton on Saturday.

If they beat the Seagulls and make the semi-finals, Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side have the chance to log Forest’s best FA Cup finish since they suffered an extra-time defeat by Tottenham in the 1991 final.

The last time Forest made it to the quarter-final of the FA Cup was in 2021-22, when they finished fourth in the Championship table and earned promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs.

This season, Forest have not been the beneficiaries of the ‘magic of the cup’. Instead, their performances have been symptomatic of their form in the Premier League, where they sit third in the table and look likely to qualify for the Champions League.

Wood, 33, has spearheaded Forest’s attack in 2024-25, scoring 18 goals in the league  –  the fourth-most of any player, behind only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak.

But Forest’s star man will be absent for this weekend’s huge FA Cup clash after he was forced off early in the second half of New Zealand’s World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia on Monday, following a hip injury.

Chris Wood will be absent for Nottingham Forest’s FA Cup quarter-final clash with Brighton

The 33-year-old was forced off with a hip injury while playing for New Zealand on Monday

Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed that Forest are unsure of the severity of Wood’s issue as they await the results of his scans

Nuno confirmed that Forest are awaiting the results of Wood’s hip scan to provide a clearer timeline on his recovery.

‘He went for a scan today (Thursday), we’re still waiting,’ the Portuguese boss said. ‘He went to see a specialist for the scan so we’re waiting for the information.

‘He’s not going to be available for this game (against Brighton). He fell really hard on his hip and there is some pain there, so we have to wait.

As well as Wood, Forest could be without Paraguayan winger, Ramon Sosa, who has netted twice and provided one assist for them in the FA Cup this season.

Nuno added: ‘Every time we have an international break players come back in different conditions, so we have to assess them and many of them have arrived today. We’re waiting on (Ramon) Sosa tomorrow, then we can assess them.’

Following the injury to his right hip, Wood remained optimistic that the issue is not too severe.

‘That’s where the pain is (right hip) at the moment,’ Wood told reporters on Monday.  

‘I felt it on that side so I’ll get it checked over and hopefully it is nothing too major and hopefully it’s just impact.’