Nottingham Forest travel south to face Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday for a huge Premier League clash
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira(Image: Getty)
Head coach Vitor Pereira hopes there will be a much-needed injury boost for Nottingham Forest heading into the final stretch of the season.
Sidelined since October with a knee problem, striker Chris Wood has been sorely missed by the Reds. The 34-year-old was the club’s top scorer last term and Forest have struggled for goals in his absence.
Putting an exact timeframe on his return is understood to be difficult, but a report by the New Zealand Herald has suggested Wood could be in line for an April comeback. Pereira, however, is keen to remain cautious over the front man’s recovery.
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“I hope he will recover as soon as possible because he is very important for us,” the Portuguese said. “I don’t know exactly when he can return. The information I have is he is working hard to come back as soon as possible.”
In addition to Wood, the Reds are still without goalkeepers Matz Sels and John Victor, along with full-back Nicolo Savona due to injury. There is a question mark over how long the latter will be out for, while John is expected to miss the remainder of the campaign.
Pereira said earlier in the week Sels could link back up with his teammates on Monday. The Belgian’s anticipated return could be a timely one given Stefan Ortega sustained a calf issue against Fenerbahce on Thursday night.
The former Manchester City stopper required treatment in the second half but was able to continue. Forest will hope he shakes off the problem in time for Sunday’s huge Premier League clash away to Brighton and Hove Albion (2pm kick-off).
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Asked if Ortega could be an injury concern for the trip south, Pereira said: “I hope not. It was another problem during the game because he felt something in his calf and we had just one sub left.
“If you have a problem with a goalkeeper and he needs to go off, it is a big problem. That is why we delayed the sub of Morgan Gibbs-White.”
The hosts lost 2-1 to Fenerbahce on the night but progressed to the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-2 aggregate win. Attention now switches back to the Premier League, where the Reds are continuing to fight for survival.
Just two points separate Pereira’s men from the relegation zone as things stand. But that could change by the time they kick off against the Seagulls as 18th-placed West Ham United travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on Saturday.
“I don’t want to look for the other teams because this is something I cannot control,” Pereira said. “We can control what we do on the pitch – our effort, our organisation and our ambition.
“Mentally, it is important to be ready to face the games in the Premier League and in the Europa League. We have to look at ourselves and what we can improve, what we cannot do and what we must do to be strong.”