The end of the international break is drawing into view as Nottingham Forest prepare for Saturday's clash with Luton Town.

Steve Cooper's side are 13th in the Premier League table after registering nine points from their first eight games of the season. They have shown positive signs in the opening months of the campaign but know there is still room for improvement.

Getting back to winning ways against the Hatters will be the aim, having registered successive draws. Ahead of this weekend's match at the City Ground, here is our round-up of the latest goings-on Trentside.

Aguilera's inspiration Goalkeeper Matt Turner showed off his basketball skills when discussing his career path in a recent media session. And it seems he might not be the only one in the Reds dressing room with an interest in that particular sport.

Youngster Brandon Aguilera has revealed how he is inspired by a quote from one of basketball's greatest stars. Michael Jordan may be long since retired, but his legacy clearly lives on.

Aguilera has shouldered comparisons with Costa Rica legend Bryan Ruiz since emerging as a bright talent. The 20-year-old says he doesn't mind being mentioned in the same breath as one of his idols and relieves any pressure by reflecting on something Jordan once said.

"In the end, whether they compare me or not, it was nice that they compared me to Bryan Ruiz, he was my idol when I was little," Aguilera told ESPN in a translated interview. "But, however, I think I don't pay attention to that, I focus on myself, I have done good things and bad training - and that is what makes you grow, value things. In the end, like Michael Jordan said, 'I've missed too many shots, for what I am', and that's how I see it."

Jordan once said: "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Aguilera was hailed as "outstanding" for Costa Rica Under-23s against Colombia. He captained the team and scored in their 2-2 draw.

Murillo watched on as the Panthers claimed a 2-1 home win over Dundee Stars. Joining him was Notts County's Kyle Cameron as Panthers said: "Great to have representation from both sides of the River Trent with us."

International duty A number of Reds players are currently on duty with their countries. It has been a case of mixed fortunes from this latest round of fixtures - with some more matches still to come.

Scott McKenna and Scotland qualified for Euro 2024 without kicking a ball on Sunday. The centre-back played the full 90 minutes of last Thursday's 2-0 defeat to Spain, but Spain's victory over Norway at the weekend guaranteed Steve Clarke's men a top-two finish in Group A.

Wales' hopes of joining Scotland in qualifying for next year's tournament are still alive. Neco Williams was in the starting XI and Wayne Hennessey was on the bench for Sunday's 2-1 win over Croatia.

"Not the result we were looking for but it was great to be back in the north east and see so many familiar faces. It's all love New England," goalkeeper Turner posted on Instagram after USA's 3-1 loss to Germany. Despite the result, Turner's performance was praised by the American media. He will hope to keep his place for Wednesday's clash with Ghana in Nashville.

Anthony Elanga is clearly looking forward to potentially facing Forest teammate Orel Mangala when Sweden take on Belgium in Brussels this evening. The attacker tagged Mangala in a picture of himself preparing for the clash, which Sweden need to win to keep their Euro 2024 qualification hopes alive. Moussa Niakhate and Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal), Odysseas Vlachodimos (Greece) and Andrew Omobamidele (Republic of Ireland) could also be in action tonight.

Banter begins The draw for next year's Africa Cup of Nations was made last week. And it didn't take long for the banter to begin.

Forest could lose a number of players to the tournament, which takes place from January 13 to February 11. And some of them are set to go head-to-head.

The draw paired Ivory Coast and Nigeria together in Group A, along with Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau. That could mean Serge Aurier, Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare (Ivory Coast) going up against Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi (Nigeria).

No sooner had the draw been made, Aurier and Aina started teasing each other. Aina posted a video on Instagram of him pointing the camera at Aurier and saying: "Sergio! How do you say 'you ready'? Tu es pret."

How should Forest line up against Luton? Have your say in the comments below