Nottingham Forest manager gives an injury update ahead of the Europa League semi-final first leg
It has been a season of highs and lows for Nottingham Forest who host Aston Villa tonight in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, before turning their attention back to their Premier League relegation battle at the weekend.
After defeating Portuguese champions elect Porto in the quarter finals, Forest are now just two games away from their first European final since 1980. And yet they are also perilously close to the drop zone in the Premier League, languishing in 15th, just three points ahead of West Ham and five above Spurs.
Balancing glory and survival, making history while preserving their present status, has been the challenge for Vitor Pereira in recent months. As the season draws to its climax, these stakes only increase and the decisions become tougher.
In an all-English affair, on Thursday night Forest host an Aston Villa side who are on course to qualify for next season’s Champions League via their league finish. Villa are also, of course, managed by Unai Emery, the Europa League specialist, who has won this competition four times with two different teams.
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So far, Pereira has managed to rotate his squad in Europe while still achieving results. Rotation, though, requires a fully fit squad and he has a growing injury list complicating matters on all fronts.
Murillo to miss Europa League semi-final first leg
With a host of players already ruled out, such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Willy Boly, John Victor and Nicolò Savona, Pereira has confirmed that Murillo will also miss the first leg. There was good news on Jair Cunha, however, who was seen training with the squad this week, but remains a doubt after being substituted in last Friday’s thrashing of Sunderland.
“We have some problems, as every team does at this moment towards the end of the season,” Pereira told Forest’s official website.
“We’re playing a lot of games, but we will see tomorrow. The medical department are trying their best to get everyone recovered, but we will see what happens tomorrow. We will for sure start with 11 players! He is trying to come back as soon as possible, but he will not be ready for tomorrow.
“I don’t think it will be long (Murillo’s absence), maybe in a few days he will be back. I don’t have a magic ball, but he is recovering, so we will see. Our medical department are working hard to get everyone in the right conditions to help us tomorrow, but if I’m being honest, I don’t think everyone will be fit for the game.”
