Vitor Pereira
Nottingham Forest are gearing up for a pivotal first-leg encounter against Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the Premier League cup at the City Ground on Thursday evening. With a place in the final at stake, the Reds are keen to secure an early advantage before heading to Villa Park for the return leg. However, Forest are facing injury challenges that could impact their squad selection.
Vitor Pereira said: “Some problems, as every team has in this moment. We are at the end of the season and have a lot of games. We will see. They (the injured players) are trying. The medical department are trying their best to recover everyone, but we will see which players we have. For sure, we will start with 11. And I hope we will finish with 11!”
Asked about Jair, Vitor Pereira added: “Our medical department are working hard to put everyone in condition to help us.”
Vitor Pereira continued: “He will not be long, I believe. Hopefully a few more days and he will be back. I don’t have a magic ball so I cannot predict, but I think he is recovering.”
Pereira is determined his team will grasp the opportunity with both hands. “It’s special for the players,” Vitor Pereira said. “It was a long, long road to be here and now it is about enjoying it. I tell you, the pressure is to be ourselves as a team, to express themselves, for the players to express their qualities on the pitch. It is about doing everything and working hard to get a good result and to play good football. This is the pressure. This is the only pressure that we can have in this moment.”
Centre-back Murillo will be absent from the squad due to a suspected hamstring injury. His fellow Brazilian, Jair Cunha, is expected to fill the void, having trained with his teammates on Wednesday morning despite being substituted due to injury in their recent 5-0 victory over Sunderland. Meanwhile, midfielder Ibrahim Sangare and winger Dan Ndoye were seen doing individual work indoors, raising concerns about their availability for the match.
The Reds have a challenging schedule ahead, with a crucial Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge following their encounter with Villa. Pereira remains optimistic about Murillo’s recovery, hoping he will be fit in time for the Chelsea game.
As Nottingham Forest prepare for this critical phase of the season, the focus remains on overcoming these injury setbacks and delivering strong performances to secure a spot in the final.
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