Nottingham Forest will again be without strike trio Dexter Blackstock, Robert Earnshaw and Nathan Tyson for Saturday's visit of Bristol City.

Blackstock, whose last-minute goal saw the Reds win last season's corresponding Championship fixture at the City Ground, is nursing an ankle injury while Earnshaw is still carrying a calf problem.

Tyson joined them on the sidelines last weekend when he suffered a calf injury in training that ruled him out of the draw at Cardiff.

Billy Davies, who is in the running for the manager of the month award following Forest's seven-game unbeaten run, hopes all three players will be fit for the trip to Middlesbrough after the international break.

Defenders Joel Lynch and James Perch will have benefited from another week of full training following illness and a long-term shin injury respectively.