New Zealand Captain Chris Wood Returns to Forest with Fitness Concern

Chris Wood's fitness worries continue for Nottingham Forest

Chris Wood's fitness concerns continue as the New Zealand captain returns to Nottingham Forest with a knee problem after the All Whites' draw against Norway.

“Not losing is good, but we haven't won. That's our next step - to beat European teams...”

New Zealand captain Chris Wood is set to return to Nottingham Forest with a knee issue after being substituted off in the 1-1 draw against Norway. Wood's knee soreness prompted Coach Darren Bazeley to take him off on the hour mark.

With today's match, Chris Wood has drawn level with Ivan Vicelich as the All Whites all-time leading appearance maker on 88 caps for New Zealand 👏 pic.twitter.com/sJ0siYRRYT

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) October 14, 2025

During the match, Wood became the equal-most capped player for New Zealand, tying Ivan Vicelich's record of 88 caps. Bazeley managed Wood's fitness to allow him to start the match and achieve this milestone, despite the knee issue bothering him during the international window.

“It's been a little bit sore for this week. Nothing too bad,” Bazeley said, adding that Wood will likely be fine. Wood's struggles with fitness come at an inopportune time for Forest, who are struggling to find form under Ange Postecoglou ahead of their match against Chelsea.

“It's been a little bit sore for this week. Nothing too bad,” Bazeley said in the post-match press conference.

“I think when you saw him go down, he was holding it a little bit. It's a little bit of tightness within his knee.

“So I think he will be fine. But we knew throughout the week he wasn't 100% fit. So he didn't play much against Poland.”

🗣️ "There's a lot to be pleased about. Again, ultimately we are disappointed to come away to a European nation and not win."

After the 1-1 draw with Norway we caught up with All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley on his team's performance. pic.twitter.com/htYd4TwLHr

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) October 14, 2025

New Zealand's coach, Darren Bazeley, revealed that Chris Wood's knee had been bothering him during the international window. Despite the issue, the team managed Wood's fitness so he could start against Norway and match Ivan Vicelich's record of 88 caps. Bazeley said, “And then, we worked through so that he could start today because today he became the ... joint-leading appearance maker with 88 caps.”

Wood's struggles with fitness come at an inopportune time for Nottingham Forest, who are struggling to find form under Ange Postecoglou. The team is winless in seven matches in all competitions, and their upcoming match against Chelsea on Saturday looks daunting. Wood was a shadow of his usual self in Forest's recent 2-0 loss to Newcastle United and hasn't scored since netting twice in the Premier League opener against Brentford.

“Not losing is good, but we haven't won. That's our next step - to beat European teams, to beat South American teams,” said Bazeley.

Chris Wood hasn't scored since netting twice in Forest's Premier League opener against Brentford. The striker has been underwhelming, and Forest's recent 2-0 loss to Newcastle United only added to the pressure on Ange Postecoglou.

Wood's recent struggles continued against Norway, where he missed two promising chances in quick succession. He volleyed the ball against the crossbar before heading wide, leaving fans wondering what could have been.

Full-Time and it's a draw in Oslo to end Norway's nine-game winning run. pic.twitter.com/wKlSmcGof8

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) October 14, 2025

Shortly after Chris Wood's substitution, Norway's Antonio Nusa scored from close range, leveling the 1-1 score. This followed Finn Surman's equalizer just before halftime.

The 1-1 draw ended Norway's nine-match winning streak, while New Zealand, already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, fell short of securing their first European win since 2010.