THERE’S NUN BIGGER GAME THAN THIS
Forest boss says today’s relegation showdown at Luton is the first of 10 cup finals for his struggling side
NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO admits there is no escaping the importance of Nottingham Forest’s crunch six-pointer at Luton, saying: “It’s the first of 10 finals.”
Forest are just one place above the Premier League drop zone and travel to Kenilworth Road today just three points clear of a Hatters team directly below them.
Their plight could worsen given a possible points deduction hanging over them after a PSR charge.
Nuno said: “I face reality and the reality is that this match is huge for us and we know that.”
Forest head into the clash on the back of three straight league defeats but Nuno insists his team are ready to roll up their sleeves for a survival scrap.
“This is what we work for, we have 10 finals to go,” he said.
And the 50-year-old former Tottenham and Wolves boss plans to use all of his experience to steer the Reds to safety. He said: “In a manager’s career you experience good moments and bad – it is always about how you react.
“When you are in a bad moment you stick together, you bounce back, you find solutions.
“There is never a moment when you say ‘right, my team is ready.’
“Every week there are issues to address and improve. We are experienced enough to know these are important points.”
Luton will have to lift themselves after surrendering a three-goal half-time lead at Bournemouth in midweek.
“We saw and analysed the game,” said Nuno. “The result was good for us. They can score goals, they have speed. They play in a particular way. They go man-toman in many parts of the game and we have to adapt. We have to show that we can take advantage of our own qualities.”
Forest have themselves shown a soft underbelly at times this season, coming out on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline five times.
Asked if his players have the right mentality for a basement battle, Nuno, replied: “Let’s wait and see. But I think we are ready. The character of the team gives me a lot of confidence.” Forest’s PSR charge looms large, adding further uncertainty to their survival battle. A verdict is expected soon following last week’s hearing, and Nuno said: “We are not nervous. We just focus on the pitch. We don’t know when it’s going to come. The sooner the better.”
Forest and Luton met at the City Ground in October, sharing the points with a 2-2 draw.
Nuno’s men will be looking at today’s fixture as the chance to start a climb up the Premier League table. After the international break they have two home games in the space of three days against Crystal Palace and Fulham.
After that come fixtures against two of his former teams - Spurs on April 8 and Wolves on April 13. Forest are 9-4 to be relegated come the end of the season. Luton are odds on at 8-15.