Nottingham Forest will take on Porto in the quarter-finals of the Europa League after the international break
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira(Image: Getty)
There will be no room for sentiment for Vitor Pereira when he comes up against former club Porto in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with Nottingham Forest.
The Portuguese steered the Reds into the last eight of the competition against the odds by seeing off FC Midtjylland last week. Trailing after the first leg, Forest’s 2-1 win in Denmark levelled the last 16 tie and they went on to triumph 3-0 on penalties.
They backed that up with a huge 3-0 victory over relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday to move three points clear of the Premier League drop zone, rounding off an important week for Pereira and his team. The international break will afford the Reds head coach valuable time on the training pitch with his squad before they return to action next month.
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First up for Forest after the hiatus will be the first leg of their Porto clash, at the Estadio do Dragao on April 9. Pereira has a long association with the Portuguese heavyweights, having been manager, assistant manager and youth-team boss across several spells, and he is well aware what to expect when the sides meet in a couple of weeks’ time.
Speaking about the tie for the first time, Pereira told Portuguese media outlet DAZN (via Sport Witness): “Of course, as a professional, I have great gratitude for that club (Porto). That cannot be questioned.
“But now I will defend my club (Forest) in the best possible way. So we will try to play two good games, knowing that we will compete against a great team.”
Pereira twice won the league title with Porto during his spell as manager between 2011 and 2013. After he left, he joined Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli then linked up with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis at Olympiacos.
Victory over Spurs represented Pereira’s first league win with Forest since he replaced Sean Dyche at the helm in February. The Reds have seven league games remaining to secure safety and will try to balance that with their bid to keep their continental adventure going.
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