Vitor Pereira
Nottingham Forest are gearing up for a decisive Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa at Villa Park. However, the team is facing significant injury concerns, with key player Morgan Gibbs-White absent from training. Head coach Vitor Pereira revealed that Gibbs-White is a doubt for the match, following an injury sustained in their recent victory over Chelsea.
Vitor Pereira said: “He has pain, for sure. We will see. We have until tomorrow to see if he is able or not. We will see. It is a big question. This is not a question for me, it is a decision between the player, the medical department and myself. But we didn’t (yet) have the last meeting to decide. I really don’t know. The doubts you have about Morgan are the same doubts I have. We will have a meeting today. We have until tomorrow to see, and we will see what we can do. But if Morgan cannot play, we will still start with 11 players. He is a very important player for us but we are ready to face this match. I honestly hope he can play and can help us tomorrow. But in case it’s not possible, we’ll play with another (player), and this one, for sure, will try to be the best player on the pitch.”
Vitor Pereira added: “I think so, but I don’t know the colour! I think yesterday he went to make the mask.”
On the possibility of other injured players returning, Vitor Pereira stated: “Not because I have doubt about Morgan, but because I have doubt about the injured players, I will delay my decisions. But in my mind I have plan A, B and C. We have a lot of (injury) doubts. We can have doubts about the players (who might be fit), but we cannot have doubts about the spirit, about what we want, about how we believe, about resilience, about what we should do tactically. This is something we cannot doubt. About the (injured) players, I have a lot (of doubts). I think today we will have a meeting and decide to look for the army and to understand the soldiers! To go into the battle, I prefer to go with the healthy soldiers. We’ll see.”
Gibbs-White’s absence is a significant blow for Nottingham Forest, as he plays a crucial role in their midfield. The player required stitches after suffering a gash to his forehead in the previous match against Chelsea, and his availability remains uncertain. Meanwhile, centre-back Murillo has returned to training after missing three games due to a suspected hamstring issue, providing a potential boost to the squad.
However, the team will still be without midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, full-back Ola Aina, and winger Dan Ndoye, who remain sidelined with injuries. Despite these challenges, Pereira is optimistic and has prepared multiple tactical plans to adapt to the available players. Nottingham Forest holds a 1-0 advantage from the first leg and will look to maintain their lead to secure a spot in the final.
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