Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We started with a good level. But after 15-20 minutes, we started to lose a lot of possession, second balls and duels. We conceded a lot of set-pieces. We suffered until half-time.

"In the second half, I asked them to be themselves and play at our level. I asked them to play the same way we started the game and told them something will happen. And I am happy that they played with personality and organisation. It was an important win.

"I have a team that have the quality to play with the ball. But it's difficult to play in our way if you lose the ball often. Tottenham were very aggressive in the duels. It was not our intention to defend but they pushed us. We had some luck till half-time.

"But it was a good time to score the opener. We studied our opponents during the set-pieces and we scored. Set-pieces and even throw-ins are very important at the moment as in football, in every situation, we can get a goal.

"After the [Europa League game] in Denmark, it was important to rest. I tried to balance the energy. The players who played against Midtjylland and today showed that they have the quality to face the next games.

"For me, it's just three points. We got it. Next game, we have the chance to do it again. And we need to go there to get those points again. This will go on until the end of the season."

You can listen to more from Pereira on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Nottingham Forest have achieved a league double over Tottenham in consecutive seasons for just the second time (2024-25 and 2025-26), after doing so in both 1995-96 and 1996-97.

• Forest's Igor Jesus is one of only five Premier League players to score 10+ away goals in all competitions this season (10), along with Erling Haaland (13), Igor Thiago (12), Joao Pedro (11) and Ismaila Sarr (10).

• Morgan Gibbs-White has scored in each of his last three Premier League away games - only Taiwo Awoniyi (4 between May-August 2023) has done so in more in succession for Forest in the competition.

• Elliot Anderson created the most chances (3), completed more passes (38), won possession more often (9) and made more tackles (6) than any other Forest player in today's win.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Tottenham's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Spence, Danso, Romero, van de Ven, Porro, Gray, Sarr, Richarlison, Tel, Solanke.

Subs: Kinsky, Dragusin, Udogie, Souza, Palhinha, Gallagher, Bergvall, Xavi, Kolo Muani.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Williams, Murillo, Milenkovic, Aina, Sangare, Anderson, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus, Hudson-Odoi.

Subs: Ortega, Morato, Awoniyi, Yates, Dominguez, Netz, Bakwa, McAtee, Ndoye.

There are three games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Newcastle v Sunderland (12:00)

• Aston Villa v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Tottenham v Nottingham Forest - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off 14:15 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

And follow Arsenal v Man City in the Carabao Cup final here (kick-off 16:30)

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Aston Villa v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Spurs v Nottingham Forest".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

People have been panning Tottenham boss Igor Tudor but they will look upon him in a different light if his side win this game.

Maybe he just needs to identify the opposition's threat a little bit better than he does opposing managers - that clip of him mistaking someone else for Arne Slot at Anfield last week did make me chuckle.

Nottingham Forest's issue is that they don't score enough goals and that lack of attacking threat might just cost them here.

I know I keep mentioning it, but Forest manager Vitor Pereira has still not won a Premier League game all season, after 12 attempts with Wolves and Forest.

I don't think he will win this week, either, although this is going to be an extremely tight game.

Spurs' first aim will be to avoid any calamities like their red card against in their previous home league game.

They have a few injuries, but they still have a fair bit of quality in their team.

Tottenham also have a bit of positivity and momentum after Wednesday's home win over Atletico Madrid, even though it wasn't enough to turn around their Champions League tie. Now they need to build on that.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Ellie Molloson
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Sunday's fixture against Tottenham Hotspur is no longer just another league game; it is a relegation play-off.

The margin for error has evaporated. Nottingham Forest and West Ham have 29 points, with Spurs just one point ahead at 30. Whilst Spurs appear to be more comfortable than West Ham who currently sit 18th, momentum tells a different story.

West Ham have found their stride - including a gritty draw against Manchester City - and Leeds have carved out a three-point cushion. On current form, the Hammers look likely to climb clear, leaving a direct shootout between Forest and Spurs to decide who remains a Premier League team.

That means a draw is not enough. We have no choice but to win.

Both squads are packed with proven talent, yet both have struggled with confidence, stability and, at times, a lack of heart. Both are severely under-performing, and on their day, both can be unbeatable.

Football talent, skill and ability is not why either team is here and, therefore, it does not make sense to attempt to analyse the actual football here. The result will be determined by who wants it more.

The danger is that Spurs have finally begun to rally, with their fans sensing the cliff edge and the players finally showing a tiny bit of grit with their two most recent results. We cannot afford to let them find their feet. We have to treat this with the intensity of a cup final. We need to be the 12th man.

Many outlets are already discussing Forest's relegation as a foregone conclusion. Discussing what we will do if we go down, which players go out and how we can manage Europe and the Premier League. But the season is not done yet!

The media might be busy writing the post-mortem for our season, but as a very wise man once said: "I hope anybody's not stupid enough to write us off."

Find more from Ellie Molloson at Garibaldi Girls, external

Relegation rivals Tottenham and Nottingham Forest meet in north London on Sunday (14:15 GMT).

A corner turned for Spurs?

This week marked the end of the road for Tottenham in Europe but also suggested a corner may have been turned in their awful form.

After four consecutive defeats under Igor Tudor, an injury-hit Spurs side scored a last-minute equaliser against Liverpool last Sunday to earn a first point under their interim boss. That was followed by his first win in charge, a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid.

The victory couldn't save Tottenham's European campaign but, just as with the fightback against Liverpool, it was the spirited manner of the performance that gave hope to a Spurs side that has looked beleaguered in recent times.

And against Atletico, they managed to do it in front of their own fans at home, a place where their continuing struggles have been even more sharply thrown into focus.

With their awful injury crisis also showing signs of easing, there is cause for optimism among fans.

However, Tottenham remain one of only two teams in the top four tiers of English football not to have won a league match in 2026, along with already-relegated Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.

Only three Premier League sides have had longer runs without a win from the start of a calendar year, all of whom were relegated (Sunderland in 2002-03, Derby in 2007-08 and Middlesbrough in 2016-17).

Spurs are winless in 12 Premier League games (D5, L7), their longest such run since 1935. Tudor has shown he can get a reaction out of his players, now he needs them to give them his first league victory.

Forest need another Wood

Nottingham Forest's victory in this fixture last season put them third in the table and very much in the Champions League mix, a dream that was dashed only on the final day of the Premier League campaign.

Less than 12 months later, Forest are in a huge battle at the other end of the table and their lack of attacking options this season has been exposed.

Forest had scored 50 goals after 30 league matches in 2024-25; at the same stage this season, they have managed just 28, the second-lowest total in the top flight.

Chris Wood supplied 20 of Forest's 58 Premier League goals last season, but has not played since mid-October because of a knee injury.

Forest spent £160m on forwards and attacking midfielders last summer – so far they have contributed five league goals between them, while centre-forward Lorenzo Lucca, who has scored just once since arriving on loan from Napoli in January, already seems to be out of favour.

Igor Jesus, one of those summer signings, is Forest's top scorer this season with 12 goals but 10 have come in Europe.

Despite having the eighth-highest number of shots this season (384), Forest have the lowest shot conversion rate in the top flight (7.3). They have also failed to score in 14 of their 30 league games, with the 3-0 win over Spurs in the reverse fixture in mid-December the last time they scored three in a league match.

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

If you had told me at the start of the season that our Premier League survival would hinge on a six-pointer against Nottingham Forest, I would have laughed in your face.

Seven months later, it turns out the joke is on me.

While this season has been a comedy of errors for Spurs, consecutive positive performances have shifted the momentum in our favour and we could yet have the last laugh.

If the draw against Liverpool was a turning point, the victory against Atletico Madrid confirmed that we are definitely moving in the right direction.

Three points this Sunday would ensure there is no looking back and it is essential that we secure them, by any means necessary.

With the Premier League table as delicately balanced as it is, it doesn't feel dramatic to say that the result against Forest will determine our season. Win and we avoid relegation. Lose? Well, that doesn't bear thinking about. Even a draw feels like it would be no good here.

I am still not convinced by Igor Tudor – particularly his man-management style – but with this Forest game being one of those "win at all costs" scenarios, it doesn't really matter if I like the interim manager or not.

We have reached crunch point and we will take the wins however we can come by them.

In an ideal world, that would be by playing the Tottenham way – with flair, confidence and goals that still get replayed decades later.

We have struggled to consistently replicate our glorious history in the modern era, particularly this season, but we must make sure that journey of self-rediscovery is one that takes place in the highest league of English football.

I might be biased, but I believe it is where we belong.

Find more from Ali Speechly at Women Of The Lane, external and on Instagram, external

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 14:15 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The players will have Friday "to recover" after travelling back from Denmark and then they will "try to tactically prepare for the match against Tottenham".

• Pereira said "mentality, energy and spirit" is more important than tactics most of the time, as that is what will put them "in good shape to go there and compete" with Spurs.

• On the magnitude of the game: "It's a very important match, but in the end it's 11 vs 11 on the pitch. It's not only about this game, we must have the mentality to get points from all eight games [remaining]."

• He said Thursday's Europa League win "proved we have a lot of options with quality to help us in this difficult battle" in the Premier League.

• On opponents Tottenham: "They've played the last two games with quality and spirit. It's going to be a tough game for us and a tough game for them."

• He wants his side to be "tactically intelligent, be compressed, defend well and when we have the ball, attack spaces and express individual qualities".

• Despite the game being away from home, Pereira said the players "need" the fans "a lot" as "in this moment, we need to be a family and fight as a family together".

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news.

Listen to live commentary of Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest on BBC Radio 5 Live from 14:00 GMT on Sunday. You can also hear commentary on BBC Radio Nottingham and on BBC Sounds. Hear all the build-up from 13:00.

Got a question about Forest? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

David Jackson
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

Image source, Getty Images

That is why you never give up on your football team.

Everything pointed to defeat in Herning. Forest had already lost twice this season to Midtjylland, they were struggling to score goals and then at 16:30 GMT came the news that Vitor Pereira had made nine changes to his team, handing starts to several players who had failed to perform throughout the season.

But thanks to Ryan Yates' leadership, an imperious defensive display from Nikola Milenkovic, and coming-of-age performances from James McAtee and Zach Abbott, they found a way to win on what turned out to be one of the most glorious nights in Forest's recent history.

One fan described it to me in the hotel on Friday morning as the "anti-Braga" performance - the opposite of the rain-soaked game in Portugal which highlighted a disconnect between club and fans. Well the connection was very much back last night.

Seeing Yates walk back on to the pitch long after the final penalty had been skied, to applaud the fans again and show his appreciation for the air miles they've put in, showed the relationship in this messed-up, beautiful and chaotic season, is again strong.

This season has been wild. You never know what's around the corner. But that's why it's so addictive. And that's why you never give up on your football club. And it's why fans have already been busy booking flights to Porto for the quarter-final.

Listen to the Shut Up and Show More Football podcast here

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Nottingham Forest's penalty shootout win over Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Here are some of your comments:

John: A great performance and one that has been due for a while from some players. Great to see them seize their chance at last and hope this flows through to the remainder of the season.

James: Good run-out and performance from players who have had limited opportunities and have often been disappointing when they have been given them. Bakwa showing glimpses of why we invested in him. Hopefully the whole squad can now contribute towards a push to Premier League safety and a European final.

Rob: Great performance from many who started, who are usually on the bench - good use of squad by Vitor Pereira. Great to progress - Porto next, though not ideal we went into extra time, with a key match against Spurs on Sunday.

Steve: Forest deserved to progress, playing the best over two legs. It's a shame it went the distance as Sunday could decide our Premier League future. A great night for Yates, I'm really pleased for him! Just need to bring these goals to the Premier League, especially the City Ground! We can do this!

Sean: Considering the amount of changes and that this line-up was our "B" team, what a performance! This time with goals. What could be more fitting than Mr Forest Ryan Yates scoring the winner in normal time? And we kept our nerve on penalties to finally get a result against Midtjylland, who have had our number for a while now. This could be the result and performance that helps us on both fronts, starting on Sunday against Tottenham.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has named his 35-man squad for the two friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur).

There are 13 players involved who weren't in the last squad back in November, while there's a first senior call-up for Everton midfielder James Garner and Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

While the Europa League will continue to offer respite from an otherwise difficult season for Nottingham Forest, the additional games present challenges.

Forest will take on Porto in the quarter-final on 9 and 16 April, welcome Aston Villa to the City Ground in between the two legs and then host Burnley the following weekend.

Winning games means positive momentum and that can only be a help when it comes to fighting to stay in the league.

But it also means more games and Vitor Pereira, who is set to take charge in his first European quarter-final, must find the balance between keeping his side in the top flight and managing the demands of competing in Europe.

"When we win it's different," Pereira said after their penalty shootout win over Midtjylland.

"The spirit is different, the energy is different and the boys deserve it because they are a fantastic group, very good players and with team spirit, character - we showed everything today.

"I don't have any doubt that we have the quality and we will compete to achieve our targets."

Yates added: "That winning feeling is special, you want to keep that momentum going.

"Momentum at this stage of the season is huge. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. Recover now, focus on Tottenham now and keep building, keep getting those wins.

"It's not over yet, we're still dreaming."

Chris McKenna
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

This was just Nottingham Forest's second win under Vitor Pereira – the other being against Fenerbahce in the last round of this competition. They won both the game on the night and the tie after the penalty shootout after previously going six games without a victory under the manager who replaced Sean Dyche in February.

It was clear with Pereira's team selection – as he made nine changes – that Sunday's clash with Tottenham and Premier League safety is the priority for the two-time European Cup winners.

Pereira opted to bring on three of those who will surely start on Sunday in Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Murillo just after the hour mark.

He will have hoped that would have been to see the game out as, at that time, Forest were going through following the goals from Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates.

But Martin Erlic's strike brought Midtjylland level, which meant those three would play a lot more minutes than maybe Pereira would have liked, given the significance of Sunday's clash with Spurs, who they are just a point behind in the battle to stay up with goal difference currently keeping them out of the bottom three.

It also meant that Elliot Anderson had to be introduced in the 75th minute and the England midfielder was not shy in putting himself about in what was a physical game with German referee Felix Zwayer allowing plenty of challenges to go unpunished.

Anderson's determination was a sign that Forest were still desperate to progress here as he continually threw himself into tackles and tried to force Forest forward.

It would need penalties to progress, but the last time Forest came into a second leg trailing and eventually got through to the next round was during the 1979-80 European Cup against Berliner FC Dynamo.

They went all the way that year to win the competition and, after tonight, they can still go on and lift the Europa League trophy this season.

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest manager Vitor Pereira, speaking to TNT Sports: "Very happy, we proved today that we came to compete. We have good, talented players. The first half was fantastic. On this difficult pitch we were a high level. Second half we kept going, scored goals that were cancelled. But in the end, we're happy. We have to balance the players now for the weekend."

On fringe players delivering: "Fantastic - I started to do subs not because we were playing badly but to balance the energy and be ready for Sunday.

"It's important [to win] - the energy and spirit is different when we win. I have very good players, and we showed everything today - team spirit and character.

"I don't have any doubt that we have the quality. We will compete for our targets. I want to thank the supporters too, because today they deserved to keep going in this competition."

Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, speaking to TNT Sports: "Everyone is happy, buzzing. Everyone is tired as well - it was a long fight today. We played so good, energy from minute one. A lot of changes but the energy was unbelievable and from the supporters who came a long way to see us. The situation in the league where we are too, this is such a good feeling.

"To be honest, I thought this is better to get it done before the finish, then we scored that goal, which was offside. They could break too at the end with everyone tired. We were lucky today - a shootout is 50-50, but we'll take it."

On how much momentum this gives going forward: "Hopefully a lot, everyone is tired, but this should give us a big boost for the coming weeks. Big chance to get the three points [at Tottenham on Sunday], get above them and keep going."

Listen to Ryan Yates' post-match reaction on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Nottingham Forest have now reached at least the quarter-finals in five of their seven campaigns in major Uefa competition, failing only in 1980-81 (European Cup) and 1984-85 (Uefa Cup).

• Nottingham Forest are the first ever English team to progress from or win a Uefa Cup or Europa League knockout stage tie having lost the first leg at home.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Friday for a selection of your replies

Midtjylland XI: Olafsson, Erlic, Bech, Diao, Bak, Byskov, Castillo, Bravo, Billing, Osorio, Brumado.

Subs: Paraskevas, Demetriou, Gonzalez, Rubio, Roberge, Loukaides, Cabrera, Kyriakou, Gurfinkel, Mudrazija.

Nottingham Forest have made nine changes from the weekend's 0-0 draw with Fulham in the Premier League.

Nikola Milenkovic and Nicolas Dominguez are the only players to keep their places from the game on Sunday.

Manager Vitor Pereira has obviously got Sunday's big league clash with Tottenham Hotspur in mind.

Nottingham Forest XI: Ortega, Abbott, Milenkovic, Morato, Hutchinson, Dominguez, Yates, Ndoye, McAtee, Bakwa, Lucca.

Subs: Sels, Willows, Williams, Murillo, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Jesus, Aina, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks.

There are seven games in the Europa League on Thursday as the last 16 concludes, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Freiburg v Genk (17:45)

• Midtjylland v Nottingham Forest (17:45)

• Lyon v Celta Vigo (17:45)

• Aston Villa v Lille - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Porto v Stuttgart

• Real Betis v Panathinaikos

• Roma v Bologna

Kick-off times 20:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Aston Villa v Lille".

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina says the team "have the quality" to progress in the Europa League and stay in the Premier League but they need things "to click".

Forest play Midtjylland at the MCH Arena on Thursday (17:45 GMT) in the second leg of the last 16 where they trail 1-0 on aggregate.

Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, Aina said: "We're still going to go out there with the same mentality to win a game and we need to play well so that's what we're going to do.

"I don't know what's going on at home, but hopefully we can get the goals that we need to progress in this tournament.

"We'll keep it tight at the back and hopefully bang in some goals.

"We have the quality in the team, it's just getting it to click and maybe having a bit of luck."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds