27 February 2024 , 15:00
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Nuno Espirito Santo says he has no intention of prioritising Nottingham Forest’s relegation fight over their FA Cup dreams.
The Portuguese says he will deal with Liverpool's threat this weekend after giving Manchester United his undivided attention tonight. Nuno says he won’t be fielding a shadow side against the Red Devils because Forest have their own agenda.
Asked about the possibility of rotating his squad, he said: “It doesn’t come into our thinking. Our idea is to go game by game. We’re always trying to find the best team to face the next game.
“You cannot think like that about what’s coming up. You have to deal with the situation in front of you. If you are concerned about what might happen, it doesn’t make sense.
“Football is so unpredictable. Something always happens. We’re facing a very good team. We have to be strong, compact, to do what we want which is to progress. We have to be near perfect. Playing at the City Ground, for us, is huge.
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“We want our players to feel comfortable, confident and use this fantastic energy we get from the stands. Our fans push us and that’s what our players must feel - confident at the City Ground.”
Pressure is building on Nuno after the decision to return four points to Everton was made on Monday. Forest dropped one place in the Premier League table and are now a single point ahead of the Toffees.
While they remain a force in their east Midlands home, it is a different story on their travels. It may influence matters this evening but a nine-point haul from 13 matches away from the banks of the river Trent heaps pressure on them to perform in front of their own.
Your turn! Who'll go through - Nottingham Forest or Manchester United? Join the debate in the comments section.
Nuno Espirito Santo got the better of Erik ten Hag in December (James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)A dreadful opening half at Villa Park saw them ship three goals and although they mounted a fightback, it proved too little too late against Unai Emery ’s Champions League chasers. Nuno said: “We’re trying to understand this performance that we gave.
“We didn’t start the game well. We conceded easy goals. This is what we are trying to understand to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We made our task very difficult. At the beginning of the game, we have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“Manchester United are still a good team with a good squad. We’re facing tough opponents. They have good solutions if they have problems, like Marcus Rashford, and very good players. But this is something we are positive about. We’re at the City Ground. We’ll give it our best.”