Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood to Miss FA Cup Quarter-Final with Injury

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood will miss the FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton & Hove Albion due to an injury sustained on international duty.

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood will miss the FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton & Hove Albion due to an injury sustained while on international duty with New Zealand. This was confirmed by Forest's manager, Nuno Espirito Santo, on Thursday.

Wood has been instrumental in Forest's success this season, scoring 18 goals in the Premier League. The club is currently third in the standings and is on track to secure Champions League qualification. Wood also had a standout performance against Brighton last month, netting a hat-trick in Forest's 7-0 victory.

Wood recently helped New Zealand qualify for the 2026 World Cup, scoring a hat-trick against Fiji in a 7-0 win. However, he suffered an injury during Monday's match against New Caledonia, limping off the field. “He went for a scan today, we are still waiting. He has been to a specialist for a scan. We will wait on the information and see,” Espirito Santo said ahead of Saturday's game.

Espirito Santo confirmed that Wood will not be available for the FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton. The striker suffered a severe kick to his hip, resulting in pain and discomfort. “He felt a kick really hard on his hip so there is pain there. We have to wait,” Espirito Santo explained.

Although Chris Wood has yet to score in the FA Cup, he has made crucial contributions to Nottingham Forest's campaign. Wood netted in both their penalty shootout wins over Exeter City and Ipswich Town, taking Forest's first spot kick on both occasions.

As players return from international duty, Nuno Espirito Santo is awaiting updates on potential injury concerns. “Every time there is an international break we have to assess,” he said. The Forest manager is still waiting to assess the condition of his players, with some only returning on Thursday. “Many of them just arrived today. We are still waiting on (Paraguay's) Ramon Sosa tomorrow and we will assess all of them.”

Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood is set to miss the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday against Brighton due to an injury pic.twitter.com/Viwhdaly6i

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Morgan Gibbs-White did not feature for England in their recent matches against Albania and Latvia, despite receiving a late call-up. However, Nuno Espirito Santo believes this should not impact Gibbs-White's performances for Forest. The Portuguese manager also emphasized that Gibbs-White does not need to prove England boss Thomas Tuchel wrong. “Hopefully he gets a chance in the future... He doesn't have to prove anybody wrong. This is not the state of mind that he should have,” Espirito Santo said. Instead, Gibbs-White should focus on competing and giving his best for Forest. “He has to compete and play and give his teammates and Nottingham Forest everything he has. Things will come naturally.”