Topics: Europa League, Football, Nottingham Forest, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Premier League, UEFA
Nottingham Forest have axed a player from their Europa League squad following a new UEFA rule change.
Forest begin their European campaign on Wednesday night with a trip to Spain to take on Real Betis. After a disappointing start to the Premier League season, winning just one of their first five matches, Ange Postecoglou will be hoping to pick up his first victory as Forest boss on the continent.
The Australian has received a boost with the news that Oleksandr Zinchenko had been added to his squad. It comes after Ola Aina suffered a hamstring injury on international duty with Nigeria that is expected to keep him out for two to three months.
Aina's absence is a major blow for Forest after his strong campaign last year. But with Zinchenko and Neco Williams, they still options in the full-back positions.
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Forest were only able to make the switch thanks to a recent UEFA rule change.
UEFA's executive committee recently confirmed they had amended squad regulations for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
The new system allows clubs to 'temporarily' replace an outfield player that has a long-term injury or illness until the sixth game week in December. Any injury or illness that lasts for at least 60 days counts as 'long-term'.
If the injured player recovers before then, they still remain ineligible to participate in UEFA competitions. In a statement, UEFA said: "The reasoning for the adaptation is to ensure that squad lists are not unfairly reduced and players are safeguarded from additional workload pressure."
Clubs must also provide UEFA with the appropriate medical information to ensure that the change is not tactical.
And the governing body have the right to have the player inspected by an independent medical professional at the club's expense.
This season is the first time Forest have competed in a European competition since the 1995-96 UEFA Cup, creating plenty of excitement around the club.
Their Europa League place only came about after Crystal Palace were demoted for breaching multi-club ownership rules, but it is still a great opportunity for Forest.
They will play eight teams in the Europa League group phase, four at home and four away.
Notably, they will host Malmo in a repeat of the 1979 European Cup final, which Forest won 1-0.
Portuguese giants Porto will also travel to Nottingham, alongside Hungary's Ferencvaros and Denmark's Midtjylland.
With such big fixtures on the horizon, Forest fans will be hoping their team can make an impact on their European return.
