Nottingham Forest Aims for Premier League Safety Amid Europa League Challenge
Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira emphasized that securing Premier League safety remains the team’s primary focus after they drew 1-1 in the Europa League quarter-final first leg against Porto at the Estadio Du Dragao. Pereira opted for a rotated squad, making nine changes for the match. The team managed to keep their European ambitions alive, aided by an unusual own goal from Martim Fernandes, who inadvertently converted a 25-yard back-pass into his own net. William Gomes had initially put Porto ahead with an early goal, but Stefan Ortega, Forest’s goalkeeper, delivered a series of crucial saves to keep the tie balanced ahead of the second leg at the City Ground next week. Despite the positive result, Pereira asserted that the upcoming Premier League matchup against Aston Villa is far more critical as Forest’s survival in the top tier is not yet assured. He stated: "It was a better result than the exhibition clearly, but we changed some players compared to the last match." He continued, highlighting the urgency of their league position: "We are playing to stay in the Premier League against West Ham, Leeds, Tottenham, and us." "We have ambitions in the Europa League, but we need to add points as soon as possible to remain in the Premier League." Pereira acknowledged that how they approach the second leg against Porto will depend on the outcome of the match against Aston Villa. He noted: "If we win the match against Aston Villa it will be one scenario... we will see what we have to do." With aspirations of reaching their first European semi-final since 1984, Nottingham Forest finds itself in a position to compete for a significant trophy, but the immediate priority lies in the league.
Source: The Independent Sport - 2026-04-09