Vitor Pereira
Nottingham Forest are on the brink of a significant achievement as they prepare for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The Reds hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg at the City Ground. However, manager Pereira has urged his team to disregard the scoreline and approach the game with the mindset that it is still 0-0. Forest are just 90 minutes away from potentially adding to their illustrious European history, but they face a challenging task against Unai Emery’s Villa.
Vitor Pereira said: “In the end, we try our best not to carry the weight of the trophy in our bag. It is a match to enjoy and a match to give everything. The only pressure is to be the best version of ourselves. This is the pressure that we need to put on every game. We speak a lot about the glory, but I don’t feel anything; I just want to be calm. It is exactly the same if we play at home or away. I want to see my team playing without fears, trying to create chances to score and trying to win the game. Tomorrow is a day to enjoy. This is something to be grateful for. We are in a semi-final, trying to reach the final. I just want to be proud of my players, to be proud of the supporters and proud of myself and my staff.”
Nikola Milenkovic said: “We feel the power of tradition at this big club. Every individual needs to leave everything on the pitch to try to get a positive result and to make our fans proud and happy. In these big games, you never know what will happen. You have to stay focused and try to think positively. Villa are a difficult team and we will try to do our best.”
This season has been a rollercoaster for Forest, with Pereira becoming the club’s fourth manager of the campaign in February, replacing Sean Dyche. Under his leadership, the team has edged closer to Premier League safety and now stands on the cusp of a European final. Pereira’s experience in handling high-pressure situations has been invaluable, as he has guided his players through various challenges.
Vitor Pereira said: “I have had a long career, a lot of games, and a lot of finals, fighting for titles and fighting to avoid relegation. This is a special season because I have a special group of players. The most difficult moments of my personal life were the moments where I became stronger. When we suffer, we remember the pain and we do everything to not have this pain again. This is fire inside of us, and sometimes in life this is powerful when we want to prove ourselves.”
As Forest prepare for this crucial encounter, the team is driven by the desire to etch their names into the club’s folklore, reminiscent of their double European Cup-winning “Miracle Men.” The anticipation is palpable, and the stakes are high as they aim to secure a place in the final in Istanbul.
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