Nottingham Forest have history in their sights in Europa League showdown with Aston Villa

LONDON – Vitor Pereira has urged Nottingham Forest to set up a “fantastic” end to a roller-coaster season when they face Aston Villa on May 7, within touching distance of the Europa League final.

His side hold a 1-0 lead from the first leg of their semi-final, as they look to reach a European final for the first time in 46 years.

Not since the halcyon days of former manager Brian Clough, who masterminded the club’s European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980, have Forest played for a major continental trophy.

In their first European semi-final since 1983-84, they have a slender advantage thanks to Chris Wood’s penalty at the City Ground on April 30.

If Pereira’s men can finish the job at Villa Park, they would face either Portuguese side Braga or German club Freiburg in the final in Istanbul on May 20.

Forest will go into the second leg on a high after a 3-1 win at Chelsea on May 4 moved them six points clear of the English Premier League relegation zone.

Pereira made eight changes against the Blues, but the understudies secured a third successive league win and stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to 10 matches.

With his stars rested, the manager believes that Forest can enjoy a golden end to the season.

“I said to them: ‘You are a special group because you work with four different managers, different ways to think football, different methodologies,’” said Pereira, who took charge in February.

“You faced a difficult season. Now you are in a moment where we decide everything. We can finish the season in a fantastic way.”

Winning the Europa League and ensuring Premier League survival would make Pereira part of Forest folklore. But he insisted that would not put him on a par with Clough, who also led the club to the English title and is immortalised with a statue in Nottingham city centre.

“If we want to put our name in the history of this club, we need to get to the final, to win the final,” he said.

“I don’t want my statue anywhere but we can imagine what he was in this city. For the new generations, for sure it’s an inspiration for us.”

Forest are playing in Europe for the first time since 1995-96 as they chase a first major trophy since the 1990 League Cup.

They have not been in any major finals since losing to Manchester United in the 1992 League Cup.

After the sackings of Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche, Pereira has revitalised a club starved of success over the past three decades.

In contrast to Forest’s vibrant form, Villa slipped to a third successive defeat in all competitions after Unai Emery made seven changes for their 2-1 loss at home to lowly Tottenham Hotspur on May 3.

Revealing he had been forced to remind his players of the principles of his reign, a visibly agitated Emery said: “I am here for more than three years, and how we have done everything, I don’t forget it.

“We spoke in the dressing room after the first half about it. We can perform better or worse, but I am not losing my mind and my point of view about how I want to get it.”

Emery has a well-earned reputation as a Europa League specialist after winning the competition three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, as well as finishing as a runner-up with Arsenal.

But Villa have been semi-final flops under him, losing in the last four against Olympiakos in the 2023-24 Conference League and to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup in 2024-25.

They have not won a major trophy since the 1996 League Cup, while their last major continental final was the 1982 European Cup triumph over Bayern Munich. AFP