Nottinghamshire

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I would like to think Nottingham Forest are safe now from dropping out of a Champions League spot.

I know they are taking it game by game, but they are very hard to beat.

They show a defensive resilience like no other team in the league and they have adopted a style that, again, no other team in the league has adapted to this year.

I really like the way that they have played. As a neutral, they have been a breath of fresh air.

We are so used to teams risking the ball at the back - but Forest don't. They know what their strengths are and they look like they enjoy defending.

To get their players to be so gritty is brilliant. Who would have thought that the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi - when he was at Chelsea, or even when he went to Germany - or Anthony Elanga when he was at Manchester United, had that side to their game?

They are exciting to watch in the transition and the speed they counter-attack at is phenomenal.

They play Aston Villa this weekend and I think that will be a difficult test. Villa are inconsistent but that is probably not helped by the amount of games they have played this season because juggling competitions is hard.

They had to strengthen in January and those players are really helping them as Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford have found their form at a critical stage.

I think this game will be good, exciting contest. Villa Park is always a difficult place to go too, but just not losing is enough for Forest.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

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Former Nottingham Forest striker Nigel Clough says the current side have "got every chance" of beating Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley later this month.

Clough was part of the Reds team that lost to Tottenham in the 1991 final and believes the group Nuno Espirito Santo has assembled can go one better this campaign.

"It just reinforces the season they're having," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.

"Going down to Brighton and getting a 0-0 after 120 minutes - you then fancied them on penalties. You talk about confidence having done so well in the penalty shootouts they've had so far, so I think once it goes to penalties, they think they're going to win.

"They get the chance now to have a go at Manchester City in the semis, which I think is a brilliant time for everybody connected with Forest.

"You're not playing the City that you were a couple of seasons ago. They just beat them at the City Ground a couple of weeks back so they've got every chance.

"What they've done so far is an incredible achievement. It's how far can they extend it now."

As the son of Forest's legendary manager Brian Clough, current Mansfield boss Nigel appreciates what success means to the people of Nottingham.

"Supporters have waited a long time at Forest from the glory days so I think it's great that they've got fresh memories for the new generation," he said.

"I bet all their parents and grandparents tell them: 'I remember the '70s and the '80s when Forest did that.'

"For them to get their own memories now is absolutely brilliant."

Listen to the episode on BBC Sounds

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The schedule for the FA Cup semi-finals has been confirmed.

Saturday, 26 April

Crystal Palace v Aston Villa, 17:15 BST, BBC One

Sunday, 27 April

Nottingham Forest v Manchester City, 16:30 BST

Both ties will take place at Wembley Stadium.

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Nuno Espirito Santo has been announced as the Premier League manager of the month for March.

This is the third time he has won the award this season after winning in October and December 2024 and he becomes the first Forest boss to win it three times in one season.

This is also the seventh time Nuno has won the award and ties with Mikel Arteta and Rafa Benitez in the all-time list.

Only seven managers have won more than the Forest boss.

In March, Forest, third in the Premier League, beat Manchester City and Ipswich to maintain their challenge for Champions League qualification.

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Aston Villa are unbeaten in their past eight home league games against Nottingham Forest. They have also scored at least twice in each of the past seven.

Following their 2-1 win at the City Ground in December, Nottingham Forest are looking to complete their first league double over Aston Villa since 1984-85.

The latest episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football has landed.

David Jackson and Colin Fray discuss Forest reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1991, as well as a season that keeps getting better and better.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Aston Villa (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Ola Aina has had a scan on his calf and he will be "out for a while", with Nuno adding: "It's a big blow and we are going to miss him."

• Chris Wood will be assessed before a decision is made for Saturday as his recovery is "day by day". Callum Hudson-Odoi, who missed Tuesday's win over Manchester United, is available.

• On Anthony Elanga's goal against his former club United: "He is improving because he has been able to play game after game. His team-mates recognise his abilities and his space. That goal on Tuesday was a credit to him and his capacity to drive with the ball and keep increasing the speed while controlling it."

• He said the players' grit and togetherness "has been our foundation since the beginning" but for the final run of games they "have to keep it" going.

• On the team spirit: "It is always nice to work in a good atmosphere and we have been able to spend time together, more than just our job obligations. Results help and you can see on the pitch that the boys are together."

• He said "it's natural" for those relationships to form but sometimes "special people get together and create special moments, and this is an example of that".

• On opponents Villa: "They are a very good team. They reinforced and balanced the squad in the January window but they have been improving since I joined here. They have talent and quality."

• In response to the Opta supercomputer giving Forest a 93.3% chance of making the Champions League: "I am just thinking about today, preparing the boys well tomorrow and then competing well against Villa. The predictions don't dictate our decisions."

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest at 17:30 on Saturday

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news