Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina says Vitor Pereira's side are "relishing" the prospect of an all-Premier League Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa.

Forest make the short trip from East to West Midlands for Thursday's first leg unbeaten in six in the Premier League and after taking a huge step towards survival with a big win at Sunderland on Friday.

"We're working hard every week. We're looking forward to a semi-final now," Aina told the media in Forest's pre-match news conference.

"The boss has done a great job but everyone has put in hard work. We're reaping the benefits of that.

"I don't really think there's that much pressure on us. We're all very proud to be in this semi-final.

"It's definitely a special feeling. It's a massive night for the club and the players. Everyone is relishing it.

"We're just focused on what we do. It doesn't matter about other results [in the Premier League]. We have our objectives."

Aina was out from the beginning of September to the end of December with a hamstring injury, only returning for the final two games of the league phase of the Europa League.

He missed 16 Premier League games but has started all 15 matches since returning to the fold.

"When I came back I found my feet game after game. I'm back now and looking forward to tomorrow," he added.

"I was buzzing that the team got through the league phase so I could be part of it and add my contribution."

Aina answered questions alongside his manager Pereira, who joked that the right-back did not need to say nice things about him and would start on Thursday regardless.

On Pereira, who took over from Sean Dyche in February, Aina added: "He's brought his ideas in and they resonated with us. He has a clear vision. Everyone has bought into that."

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg against Aston Villa at The City Ground (20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Pereira confirmed defender Murillo will not be fit to face Villa: "He's trying to come back as soon as possible but he's not ready now. I don't believe it will be long, maybe he can be back in a few days, we will see."

• He added the medical team was "working hard" on Jair Cunha but they "don't know" if he will be fit and he was also asked for a fitness update on Dan Ndoye and Ibrahima Sangare: "It's normal to have some issues at this time of the season. We'll see tomorrow, they are trying to be ready."

• On the mood within the camp: "I think being positive is the only way to live life. We are moving our legs, we are breathing, it's good weather. The family is happy. We are ready to fight until the end, which is the only mentality I want to see."

• Looking ahead to a European semi-final, Pereira said: "It will be good energy. What I ask every time in training and in games is for good energy. With good vibes we can achieve miracles, and in the end, we can be proud of ourselves."

• Pereira made a point of paying tribute to Nuno Espirito Santo, who qualified Forest for the Europa League and began their journey, and Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche who both won games in charge during their run: "First of all I need to speak about the managers before me who played in the Europa League, who helped get to this moment. This is not about me, it's about the club."

• He was asked about taking inspiration from legendary former Forest boss Brian Clough, who won the European Cup twice with the club: "If we want to put our names in the history of this club we need to get to the final and win it. Of course he is an inspiration for us. Tomorrow is a big chance for our supporters and for us to reach a final. We will do everything we can to move forward."

• More on Clough: "He's a strong character, not just a top player and manager. This week I went into the city and saw a big statue of him. I'm not thinking about a statue, but we can imagine what he did for this city, because it stays in the city and the hearts of the people until now."

• Pereira offered perspective when looking at the task facing his team: "Almost all of us have a fantastic life. When we say it's a big challenge, of course it is, but it's a good challenge. For some people, it is a challenge to move. This is a good challenge. I work in the Premier League. I have no reason to be worried, I just want to be there, enjoy it and compete."

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Players involved the last time Nottingham Forest were in a European semi-final have been reminiscing on the tie on a special episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.

It was an occasion shrouded in bitterness and controversy.

Forest were 2-0 up from the first leg of their 1984 Uefa Cup semi-final against Anderlecht, but lost the second leg 3-0 with a dubious penalty decision and disallowed goal just two of numerous decisions which aroused suspicion.

The truth behind those refereeing decisions only emerged during a 1997 criminal case when Anderlecht admitted paying the Spanish referee Emilio Guruceta Muro.

It later emerged that the former president of the Belgian club Constant Vanden Stock had paid the Spanish referee a significant amount before the game. In 1997 Anderlecht were handed a ban for a year from Uefa's competitions but a BBC investigation revealed Uefa had knowledge of the bribe years before action was taken.

The topic is still a sore one for those involved.

Looking back on the tie, former Forest defender Paul Hart said: "I had the same referee when I was playing for Leeds against Real Madrid and he sent two of our players off so Real Madrid could win. The first time we saw him was in the tunnel before the game and I said to Kenny Swain 'that's the same geezer'.

"He was totally corrupt, then you find out about it 20 years later about someone being bribed. I think the manager knew we'd been diddled. He was very quiet. It was terrible. The stadium is still named after Stock."

Goalkeeper on the day Hans van Breukelen said: "It still hurts because we couldn't play in a European final and we had a good team. Straight away I told the gaffer he was cheating. You feel that when you are on the pitch. It still hurts."

Legendary former Forest midfielder Steve Hodge added: "The thing that struck the players was we read the newspaper the day of the game and Brian Clough was spouting that he was concerned about the referee. He was always very protective of referees and tried to butter them up and get on their good side.

"But, this time he went out in public and let the referee know he was watching him carefully and had his doubts about him. As the game transpired and with what I know now, did he know something we didn't know? It was an odd thing for him to do in the papers. It was toxic from minute one. It smelt of an English team playing abroad.

"It was a period when English teams were being tarnished and sometimes provoked by European teams they visited. From minute one that night it wasn't a pleasant place to be."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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After moving one step closer to securing Premier League safety with a 5-0 win over Sunderland, Nottingham Forest can probably afford to start putting their European ambitions first now.

When the two-time European champions come up against Aston Villa, who also have one European Cup to their name, in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday night, one thing's for sure: both teams will want to take an early advantage.

Vitor Pereira's decision to field a slightly strengthened side for the club's quarter-final second leg win over Porto paid dividends, so we can except him to follow suit in what will be an even bigger tie against Premier League opposition.

But will the Reds opt to sit in or go on the attack in their home leg at the City Ground?

Well, the statistics can probably answer that one.

Forest have accumulated the best xG (27.8) in the Europa League this season, having taken 414 touches in the opposition box across their 14 fixtures in the competition, with 23 of their 88 shots on target finding the back of the net.

Only Serie A side Bologna, who were knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Villa, beat the Reds in each of those three categories.

Morgan Gibbs-White will be one to watch in attack, having scored a staggering five times since the club's last Europa League outing on 16 April.

The Reds will be missing attacking impetus from Callum Hudson-Odoi, though.

The 25-year-old winger, who is out for the season with a right quadriceps muscle injury, has created 23 chances in the Europa League this season, with only three other players carving out more opportunities for their team-mates.

In addition, only three Englishmen have created more chances in a single season since records began in 2009-10: James Milner (31) and Adam Lallana (24) for Liverpool in 2015-16 and James Ward-Prowse (25) for West Ham United in 2023-24.

Nottingham Forest have a big week in Europe in facing Aston Villa, so the team on Shut Up And Show More Football have decided to look back on the last time the club featured in a continental semi-final.

It's Anderlecht, it's history, it's Steve Hodge and it's a great listen.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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There is a huge amount to be said for how desperation can affect teams in a positive way.

Spurs, Nottingham Forest and West Ham each won in the Premier League this weekend. You will search long and hard to find a weekend when that happened this season as they have all struggled to fight clear of relegation.

It is the main reason why predictions are almost impossible at this time of the season. Teams and players cannot be at 100% for every game, but when desperation kicks in, you will get every ounce of effort, even if you can lose some calmness and composure as a result.

Forest and West Ham have been in this mindset for a while now, but it is only now that Spurs have finally woken up and smelled the very bitter coffee.

It was however one of the best 10-minute spells in the league this season when Spurs scored in the 82nd minute to grab two extra points against Wolves. Back in London, West Ham conceded a goal to Everton in the 88th minute, seemingly dropping two of the three points they were holding.

A four-point swing in six minutes was huge at the bottom of the table. But just a few minutes later, West Ham struck through Callum Wilson to grab those two points back again.

In these days of updates live on your phone and all modern technology it was radio gold on BBC 5 Live.

I have listened back to Ian Dennis as he reported on it all happening live and it reminded me why football, even without pictures, can be the best entertainment imaginable. The good news is it is all very likely to happen again and again before the season ends.

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The latest news and views on Forest in two minutes, every weekday afternoon.

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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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In Sean Dyche's last game in charge of Nottingham Forest, the Reds famously had 35 shots on goal, 10 of which were on target, and scored none. Wolves' goalkeeper Jose Sa was player of the match and deservedly so, such was the home team's profligacy.

At that point, Forest had scored just 25 goals in 26 Premier League games. But, under Vitor Pereira, we have now scored 16 goals in eight Premier League games, plus a further eight in six Europa League matches.

Just when you begin to wonder where the goals will come from, there are 24 goals in 16 outings.

Pereira has overseen his side score more goals than any other Premier League side since he joined the club on 15 February. Nine of those came in just two games - two very important games - at a stage of the season where we desperately needed to win games.

But, even so, Friday's 5-0 demolition away at Sunderland was expected by no-one - except, perhaps, Pereira.

A season-ending injury to Callum Hudson-Odoi was hardly the news Forest needed, but the tactical change to play two strikers - Chris Wood and Igor Jesus - and give Morgan Gibbs-White freedom to float and find space has unlocked something.

Obviously, Wood's return makes a huge difference. The New Zealand international's 20 league goals last season were instrumental in the Reds' success, but so too was his link-up play and understanding with the likes of Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga.

Friday's win wasn't just about scoring goals, it was about identifying weaknesses and patterns in the opposition.

Nuno Espirito Santo, and Steve Cooper before him, always had a plan for each game. It is hard to argue either Ange Postecoglou or Dyche did, with both seeming to stubbornly prefer the same set-up for each game.

As we come to the business-end of the season, there is still much work to be done. Hopefully, the results and performances we've seen in recent weeks continue.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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As the battle for places in Europe hots up in the Premier League, the race to shuffle papers to satisfy Uefa's bureaucrats has been just as intense.

This is because European football's governing body has strict multi-club ownership (MCO) rules.

Those rules could cause a team to be demoted from one competition to another, like Crystal Palace were from the Europa League to the Conference League last season, or miss out on Europe altogether.

Last year, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis placed the club into a blind trust in case they qualified for the Champions League.

That could have presented a conflict with his other club, Olympiakos.

With Forest in the semi-finals of the Europa League, once again they have a chance of being in the Champions League. And Olympiakos look like being in it too.

In a blind trust, relevant parties transfer their shares to independent trustees, whereby all the decision-making of the club will rest solely under the control of the third party.

The club are controlled through a company called NF Football Investments.

Until 28 February, Marinakis was the only person with significant control.

He was removed and it was passed to another company, Pittville Four Limited, controlled by Janet Lucy Gibson, Henry Peter Hickman and Eleanor Catherine Walsh.

Those three independent trustees were also added to the football club's board, replacing Mighael Dugher, Simon Forster and Jonathan Owen.

Forest's problem could be that the new additions had to pass the Premier League's owners and directors test.

It was not until 17 April that Companies House was updated.

The Premier League's register of directors, last updated on 2 April, still lists Marinakis, Dugher, Forster and Owen.

Will the lodging of the blind trust on 28 February be enough? Or would Uefa consider 17 April to be date the club were compliant?

Forest are adamant that control was officially relinquished by Marinakis on 28 February and they will have no issue with Uefa.

However, until the CFCB makes another ruling on a blind trust, there is no absolute certainty it would be accepted.

Read more here

Nottingham Forest could move for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, 23, if Elliot Anderson leaves in the summer. (Sun), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Pundits Martin Keown and Steph Houghton join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

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Adam Cottier
BBC Radio 5 Live reporter at The Stadium of Light

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Vitor Pereira appeared to revel in talking about his team's remarkable performance at Sunderland - he had great reason to be so proud.

Broadcasters waiting to speak to him in the interview area after full-time were greeted with a beaming smile and a rich enthusiasm for what he had just seen his side produce.

The Portuguese had high praise his coaching staff - particularly those tasked with organising set pieces - because Forest had been lethal with them in the first half onslaught that saw them take a wrecking ball to a Sunderland defence that could hardly be labelled as weak or ill-prepared.

The variety of executions with the dead ball seemed to outwit Sunderland as Regis le Bris alluded to afterwards. Forest were so potent. Omari Hutchinson sparkled on the wing, Chris Wood made a welcome return to the Premier League goal scoring roster and Morgan Gibbs-White is playing as effectively as any Premier League player at the moment. Such form is breeding confidence in those around him.

Having lost my own mum to illness two years ago, Elliott Anderson's goal pulled at the heart-strings as I am sure it did with many others. There were no boos for this outstanding footballer, formerly of Sunderland's rivals down the road.

There was so much to like and admire about this seminal win for Pereira's team. He's rejuvenated Forest and they are well set now to take on Aston Villa for a place in a European final. They won't be relegated - and that looked a red hot possibility when they switched managers in February.

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood said last night's 5-0 win against Sunderland was a "confidence booster" for his side as they battle to avoid a drop down to the Championship.

Wood scored in the thrashing as Forest moved eight points clear of Tottenham in 18th place.

Also, speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, former Forest defender Brian Laws said he is "more confident than ever" that Vitor Pereira's side will retain their Premier League status this season.

Have a listen to the full interview with Wood above or on BBC Sounds here

And find Laws below or here

Explore more Nottingham Forest content from BBC Radio Nottingham on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Friday’s Premier League game between Sunderland and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Sunderland fans

Lynne: So disappointing! No excuse for such a poor performance. No quality in the team.

Keith: The stuff of nightmares. The game was even till the first goal, but then energy ran out and mistakes crept in. Forest had done their homework and scored three times by good wing play and neat crosses - helped by our shocking marking. At least we showed a bit of fight in the second half. We had a quick and traffic free journey home - everyone else had left long ago! We end the season with a whimper.

James: We've been due this result for a while - have rode our luck for too long. Personally, 5-0 at home should result in a fine for the full squad.

Dave: I'm proud that at 4-0 the fans were in full voice and behind the team. Forest were efficient but we were inept. Played the game like a training drill with no intensity. We aren't ready for the demands of European football. If we had got it we'd be next year's Forest.

Forest fans

Sean: Where to begin? Struggled to score from set-pieces all season, and like a bus three came at once in that first half! Wood is back in the goals, Igor Jesus continues where he left off last week and is there any stopping MGW? Not looking likely. Even when we stepped off in the second half Anderson pops up with a gift of a goal. Rode our luck with the disallowed goal but it didn't affect the outcome. Mathematically still in the relegation fight, but eight points clear and a performance like that against a strong Sunderland side has laid the gauntlet down for Tottenham and West Ham. Dare I say we should only focus on the Europa League semi now?

Martyn: Looks like we've found a way to play. Good old fashioned 4-4-2! Pressed high and capitalised on the mistakes. MGW has become the goalscorer we knew was in there and great to see the whole team fight for each other. Massive result!

Dave: A sublime first half which was followed by an isolated incident of game management in the second in the context of this season. To a man, they played a blinder and credit to the coaches too. A real team performance all round. Whisper it, but we might be all right now.

Soulalways: Fantastic result from my beloved Reds! We should not be down at the foot of the table because we have class players who can win games and trophies. The bad decisions of the past year have landed us in this mess, but we proved we can climb out of it after a great result at Sunderland. Going forward, we have nothing to fear - let’s get out there and beat the rest of the opposition home or away. We still love Nuno at West Ham and I hope they stay up and the spuds go down...that would be justice! COYR!

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

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And then there were two?

Nottingham Forest stunned Sunderland with a sensational 5-0 win on Friday to put some serious distance between themselves and the bottom three.

It moved Vitor Pereira's side on to 39 points, eight clear of 18th-placed Tottenham and six clear of 17th-placed West Ham.

It is 15 years since a team was last relegated from the Premier League with 39 points.

So, with Forest unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, is it time to call the battle to avoid the Premier League's final relegation spot a two-horse race?

Forest boss Pereira was quick to tell BBC Match of the Day that his side's tally "isn't enough" to stay up quite yet.

"We need more points, we need to win more games and we need to keep our mentality," he said.

But is Pereira being needlessly cautious?

Twenty-three teams have been on exactly 39 points after 34 games across Premier League history - and none of them have gone down.

There is a strong argument to be made that Forest, and by extension Leeds on 40 points, already have enough to stay up.

When looking at 38-match seasons the average points tally of the side finishing 18th is 34.5 - so 35 points is, on average, good enough for survival.

And, in even better news for Forest and Leeds fans, over the past five seasons the average points tally for 18th has dropped to 29.6.

Only six teams have ever been relegated from the Premier League with 39 or more points in a 38-game campaign.

The last two were Birmingham and Blackpool, who both went down with 39 in 2010-11.

Mathematically, eight more points ensures next season will be Forest's fifth consecutive campaign in the top flight.

In theory Tottenham could finish on 46 points, but that would require them to win all five of their final five games.

Forest's remaining league matches are against Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester United and Bournemouth.

Tottenham are up against Wolves, Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton.

And West Ham still have to play Everton, Brentford, Arsenal, Newcastle and Leeds.

Read more on Forest's survival prospects

Vitor Pereira has been speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham after Forest recorded a vital and impressive 5-0 win at Sunderland on Friday night.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport Journalist

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The win was Nottingham Forest's biggest win of the season and backed up their 4-1 victory over Burnley last weekend.

Vitor Pereira's side are on a fantastic run at just the right time. They are unbeaten in six league games (three wins and three draws) and have a Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa on the horizon.

They stunned a Sunderland side who have the eighth-best home record this season.

The mood in the East Midlands is significantly more optimistic now than it was on 15 March - when Forest were last dragged into the relegation zone following a West Ham draw against Manchester City.

Pereira's team have since collected 10 points from a possible 12, a run which started with their crucial 3-0 win at relegation rivals Tottenham, and has lifted the club away from danger.

Individually, Morgan Gibbs-White continued his fine form. The England midfielder scored his seventh goal in as many games and also assisted Wood's strike with a clinical pass.

Chris Wood, who has spent most of his season sidelined by a knee injury, scored his first Forest goal since netting two on the opening day of the season.

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Five goals, a clean sheet, I'm very happy the players, the supporters, the club and the staff. We deserve it because we played a fantastic first half. Congratulations to the people who do the set plays, they did a great job today. Recover, enjoy just a little bit and be ready for the next challenge.

"We decided to come here and press them because we are fighting for our life. When we are fighting we feel the need to do something, not to wait, we decided to press them and we did it very well and the fantastic goals from set plays.

"The second half was a bit different. Some injuries, some yellow cards, and with yellow cards you cannot be so aggressive on the ball. In the end one more goal, we did not concede, I am happy of course."

On Elliot Anderson's goal: "He makes part of our family. This is the moment to be with him, to support him, to help him every day. He is a fantastic player with a strong, strong character. He is a fighter, a winner and he proved today again he deserves everything."

On Chris Wood's goal: "A fantastic striker. He knows everything about the game. How to hold the ball, how to assist, how to score, how to press, everything. He helped in the defensive set plays. He is a striker who can do everything.

"Morgan [Gibbs-White] also had a fantastic game, Igor [Jesus], Omari [Hutchinson], the defenders, the midfielders too. The speed that we showed, even from the bench, when we do the subs we kept the spirit."

On being eight points clear from the drop zone: "It isn't enough. We need more points, we need to win more games and we need to keep our mentality."

Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson speaking to Sky Sports: "We are on a good run at the minute. It's taken a while but we fully believe in ourselves. The manager is right behind us and we are enjoying it."

On Chris Wood's return to the goals: "It's good to have him back and for him to score. I was speaking to him the other day and he said when you come back from injury and score you get huge confidence, so I'm really happy for him.

On his goal: "Really happy with it, and really happy to score here as well. I just know that my Mum would have been really proud with that one so I'm happy.

Did you know?

• In Morgan Gibbs-White (16) and Igor Jesus (15), Nottingham Forest are the only Premier League side to have two players score 15+ goals across all competitions this season.

• Nottingham Forest scored four first half goals in a Premier League away game for the first time – the Tricky Trees were the first top-flight side to do so on the road since Tottenham Hotspur vs Southampton in December 2024 (5-0).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

What did you make of Forest's display?

Come back on Saturday for a selection of your replies