Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White has issued a rallying cry ahead of the club’s crucial fixture against Chelsea at the City Ground next Sunday. Following their 2-1 victory over West Ham, Forest’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot are still within reach. A win against Chelsea could propel them into the top five, keeping their European dreams alive.
Morgan Gibbs-White said: “Chelsea are an incredible team in good form so we’ll have to go back to the drawing board this week and focus on how we want to win that game. It’s a do or die moment, one last push and we have to give it everything – the fans, the staff and us. We’ll be going in wanting three points. How do you beat Chelsea? Everyone being together but I have no doubt about that. Fighting for each other and fighting for what we want. We want Champions League and we’ll do our best to put on a good performance and get the three points.”
“It’s not been a straightforward week. It was nice to take the lead and then the second settled the game,” he added, dedicating the win to the stricken striker. “We left it a bit nervy for ourselves towards the end. It was more of an emotional one for us with Taiwo [Awoniyi] but he’s on a good recovery so that was for him. The whole week has been tough on everyone. Wednesday was our first day back in [after Awoniyi incident] and the place was pretty lifeless, everyone was praying and wishing him well. Today was the perfect example of how together our team is. The boys showed incredible resilience. We’ve been good at taking the lead and seeing it out this season, bit nervy towards the end and a few arguments but the boys rode the storm. Delighted with the three points and we go again next week.”
Gibbs-White’s comments highlight the significance of the upcoming match against Chelsea, especially with both teams having much at stake in the final game of the season. Chelsea’s recent victory over Manchester United, aided by Marc Cucurella, has set the stage for a high-stakes encounter. Forest’s victory at West Ham, where Gibbs-White opened the scoring, marked only their second win in seven league games, keeping them just a point outside the top five. With Manchester City also in action during the week, the pressure is on Forest to secure a win to maintain their Champions League ambitions.
The emotional backdrop of the week, following an incident involving striker Taiwo Awoniyi, has added an extra layer of determination within the team. Gibbs-White’s dedication of the win to Awoniyi underscores the unity and resilience within the squad as they prepare for their decisive clash against Chelsea. The City Ground is expected to be at its vibrant best, with both players and fans rallying for one final push.
Tags: #NottinghamForest, #Chelsea, #ChampionsLeague, #PremierLeague, #MorganGibbsWhite, #CityGround, #ManagerInsight
