Nottingham Forest take on Porto in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night
Chris Wood in training for Nottingham Forest(Image: PA)
Nottingham Forest will have striker Chris Wood available for the first time in almost six months when they face Porto this week.
The Reds return to action after the international break with the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at the Estadio do Dragao on Thursday night (8pm kick-off). New Zealand international Wood has travelled to Portugal with his teammates and could be included in Vitor Pereira’s match squad.
The front man has been sidelined since October with a knee problem that required surgery. He has already got some minutes under his belt with the club’s B team, and looks set to soon return to action for the senior side.
“He has started to train with the team. He is available for the game,” head coach Pereira said.
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“He is working with us. We need to manage him a little bit physically but he has travelled. It means he is available to be in the squad tomorrow. He is an experienced player, he scores goals and it is important to be ready to help the team in this moment because we will face a lot of challenges.”
Defender Jair Cunha has also made the journey to Portugal. He has missed the last three games with the foot problem he sustained against FC Midtjylland at the City Ground.
“We have almost solved the situation,” Pereira said of the Brazilian. “But not yet for this game.”
Aside from those players who have been on duty for their countries, Forest will go into the midweek clash refreshed and revitalised after the near three-week hiatus. They have a place in a European semi-final in their sights, but Pereira must continue to balance their continental demands with trying to secure Premier League survival.
“The priority is to win the next game, and the next game is tomorrow,” said the Portuguese. “The Europa League is very important, and it is very important to keep the club in the Premier League.
“I need to find the balance between the two competitions. This is the only way; the only way to compete tomorrow and again in three days’ time against Aston Villa. The players have to feel they are important and have the qualities and conditions to compete and to help the club in this moment.”
He added: “The break is a reality, we can’t escape it. After the victory (against Tottenham Hotspur), we probably wanted to have a match straight away to take advantage of the good momentum but some players went to play for their national teams.
“With the players who stayed with me, we took great advantage of the work done and worked very well. I have to take advantage of these days to try to prepare all players for both competitions – to play Europa League and three days later face Aston Villa. It’s up to me to find a balance between one competition and the other.
“These are two very high level matches with two very strong opponents but we have to look at ourselves with confidence. We have to think about what we want to be tomorrow and what we want to be against Aston Villa.
“Play with bravery and intelligence, that is what I want to see tomorrow and what I want to see three days later. For that, I will have to manage the playing times and the team itself otherwise the players won’t be able to play with the intensity I like to see. Besides that, even more important, it is the mindset to play in a stadium like this.”
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