Nottinghamshire

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Striker Chris Wood has said Nottingham Forest are keen to move forward in both the Premier League and in Europe, before the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Porto at the City Ground (20:00 BST).

Vitor Pereira's side drew 1-1 in Portugal last week, with Wood playing his first minutes since October after recovering from knee surgery.

"We've got a lot of big games coming up over the next eight weeks, one of them is [Thursday] and one on Sunday [against Burnley]," Wood said, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday.

"The boss has talked about having that squad balance. No matter who is selected, [they] should be ready to play and be 100% because we want to compete on both fronts and we've got the squad to do. But we know it's going to be a tough game [against Porto] and a tough game on Sunday.

"I believe whoever the manager picks will be ready to go and ready to fight, ready to put in a good performance."

On how he has perceived the situation at Forest, who are also in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League, Wood added: "It has been a tough season, there has been a lot of change and a lot of upheaval at times but there has also been a lot of positivity - we're in a quarter-final of a European competition.

"We're very much happy to be in this place and giving ourselves the opportunity to progress here at the City Ground.

"We'd like to be higher up in the Premier League but that's life. We are where we are and it's about doing the business to make sure we're here next season."

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Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Porto at the City Ground (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Elliot Anderson did not train on Wednesday because of "personal problems" and it is unclear if he will be available for the fixture.

• Pereira is "very happy" to have striker Chris Wood back from a long-term injury: "It is good because he has experience in dealing with these kinds of situations. He also has the quality to score goals, which is important. It is also his ability to help the rest of the team, he works hard even when we are defending."

• When asked if he will select his Europa League starting XI with their next Premier League game in mind, he replied: "I need to think about both games because it is important to balance our energy. We need to face Burnley in our best condition because it will be a tough game again."

• On whether he sees it as a straight decision between Europa League win and Premier League survival, he said: "We will try our best to keep going in both competitions, but with responsibility. We are trying to find a way to compete in both games, this is the only way that I know: working, working, working."

• However, the players will "need to be consistent" in order to succeed in these two challenges.

• On Forest facing Porto for the third time this season: "We know the game will be very tough. I know them very well and I know we need to play at a better level than in the first leg. If we can do that, we will see what happens."

• He is pleased that the club's upturn in form is happening under his watch: "When we accept a job in the middle of a season, we know it's because something isn't going well, but I saw this as a good challenge. It is a pleasure to face Porto in the Europa League and Burnley next in the Premier League. It means we are here, we are fighting, we are alive and we have the energy to keep going."

• His key message to the players has been about "being resilient, being confident, believing in our work and believing in our qualities".

• On whether people are starting to see the 'Vitor Pereira way', he said: "I'm eager to compete and I want to prove myself every day, so this is my message and my way. My message to us and our supporters is simply: 'Let's go.' I know we can win on the pitch."

• James McAtee and Dilane Bakwa have proven they are "very talented" through their Europa League performances this season. He explained: "When you have players with this sort of talent, you just need to give them confidence, support and chances to play."

• He added that both players have "potential", but the Premier League "demands some adaptation" and luckily they have youth on their side.

Look back at Wednesday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Hear more from Vitor Pereira speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham on BBC Sounds here or by pressing play on the clip below

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Nottingham Forest's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Porto is fast approaching, so we asked if you would rather see Vitor Pereira rotate his squad again with Premier League survival in mind or go all out in the hope of reaching a European semi-final.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Jack: The focus has to be on the Premier League with the position that we are in. I can't see us getting past Aston Villa in the semi-finals anyway, but regardless we must not get relegated and risk our entire squad being dismantled. For me, he should rotate with an eye on Burnley.

Tim: In a relegation scrap, at the business end of the season, morale is just as important as fitness. He should go full strength in the first half and play a low block to see the game out. The only bad outcomes are chasing a lost cause and extra time.

Ken: It will be a case of half and half hopefully, with a strong bench. I would start Awoniyi up top and Ortega in goal to protect the defence. I would give everyone else 45-60 minutes. Sunday's game is the really important one.

Richard: He has to play our strongest team. There is too much at stake!

Tony: I'd prefer to rotate and keep our best for the league. However, the possibility of winning the Europa League, and being a Championship team in Europe, has a sort of romance about it! Being relegated and out of the Europa League is an option I can't bring myself to think about. We must stay up at all costs, regroup and go for top half next season.

Reidy: Win this, beat Aston Villa in semi-finals, and who knows! The league will take care of itself, if we keep picking up points here and there, because Spurs look doomed.

Steve: I would suggest starting with the 'strongest side' but, following the poor display against Aston Villa, I'm not convinced those players are committed enough.

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Two Premier League heavyweights are set to face each other this weekend at Etihad Stadium, as Manchester City host Arsenal.

Both teams go into the fixture with different targets. For Mikel Arteta's side, it is about extending their lead at the top of the table. For Pep Guardiola's side, it is about closing the gap and keeping themselves in the title race.

It is a fixture being labelled a title decider by some, so we want to know who you want to win this Sunday's match.

Will you be cheering on the Citizens or getting behind the Gunners?

Make your selection

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Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira has a big decision to make before his side's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Porto on Thursday (20:00 BST).

Pereira made nine changes to his starting XI for the first leg and a much-altered team earned a 1-1 draw in Portugal.

Only Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White kept their places for Sunday's Premier League draw with Aston Villa, which moved Forest three points clear of the relegation zone.

The Reds are back on home turf at the City Ground on Thursday, so should Pereira rotate again with the Premier League survival battle in mind, or go all out in the hope of reaching a European semi-final?

Get in touch with your views here

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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The irony of the Premier League's top clubs faltering at this stage of the season is that Nottingham Forest should have been the ones to take advantage.

After 32 games last season, the Reds were in third place with 57 points. The same points at this stage would have them in third place, two above Manchester United and Aston Villa.

If strengthening the squad last summer could have kept us on the same trajectory, then the depth and quality would have kept us in the race for the Champions League - now confirmed as five places again for the Premier League for next season.

That points tally would put us nine clear of sixth-placed Chelsea and, feasibly, last season's total of 65 points would probably be enough for a place in Europe's top competition.

As it is, football - as Liverpool, and possibly Arsenal, fans will confirm - doesn't always follow logic. And the season we have is the season we have.

Except the opportunity to write our own history, as it was back in August, is still ours to own. Vitor Pereira's steady hand took us closer to a Europa League semi-final last Thursday and Sunday's draw with Aston Villa was a warm-up against our possible opponents should we beat Porto on Thursday.

Pereira is notably the first of our four managers this season to successfully shuffle the squad in a cup game and not be embarrassed.

While hindsight is a wonderful thing, conjecture is also dangerous and each game as it comes is the sensible way to proceed. But if you can't dream in football, what can you do?

Forest's season can still go several ways but the redemption arc is one in which our failings in the Premier League could be redeemed by Europa League glory.

A place in the Champions League and Premier League status retained? The dream remains alive.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external