Nottingham Forest

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

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FA Cup or Champions League? Well, Nottingham Forest do not have that choice any more. But now the decision has been made for them, concentrate on the league it is.

The permutations of qualifying for European competition are no longer endless but nothing, of course, is guaranteed. Three points should be enough for the Europa League. Nine points might be enough for the Champions League. The Conference League is a distinct possibility for the team finishing seventh, or even eighth.

But all that really matters right now is the five cup finals Forest have between now and the end of the season - three of them at home - starting on Thursday when Brentford visit the City Ground.

That game promises to be a cauldron of noise following Sunday's incredible scenes at the FA Cup semi-final. Despite the disappointment of losing 2-0 to Manchester City, the sea of 35,000 Reds at Wembley was something not to be forgotten - and if Forest ever needed a 12th man, it is now.

The depth of our resources has been highlighted by Sunday's injuries and suspensions, but there is hope that we have a fully fit squad for the run-in now. And glory does not need to be defined by winning a cup, it can equally be defined by welcoming Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Lazio and Roma to the banks of the Trent next season.

Whatever happens, there is nothing but pride for Nuno Espirito Santo's team - but, as he often says, nothing has been achieved yet.

The thousands of fans who were at Wembley on Sunday, and the thousands who could not make it, are right behind them - and this, surely, is just the start of things.

Concentrating on the league is the next step.

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Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says it is "disappointing and sad" but it just wasn't Nottingham Forest's day at Wembley.

Following a lethargic first half, Nuno Espirito Santo's men got out of first gear and took the game to Manchester City to create three fantastic chances to get back into the game.

Luck, however, was not on their side.

"It took them 45 minutes to warm up and that is the sad, disappointing thing," said Reo-Coker on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "It is one of those matches that you look back on and you say 'it wasn't their day' when you look at the chances they had.

"It should have been 2-2 and gone to extra time and then anything can happen.

"Any other day those chances go into the back of the net, so they will be really disappointed.

"They have had an amazing season so far and an FA Cup final would have been another cherry on top of the cake, but for most fans this will be remembered as the season of their lives under Nuno."

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's FA Cup semi-final between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.

Here are some of your replies:

Forest fans

Bettsy: I'm so disappointed. Let's stop giving respect to City - they aren't that good. We seem to set up in fear of them. A dreadful performance in the first half. Danilo is awful. Poor Zach Abbott has zero idea how to play full-back but did nothing wrong apart from wanting to play centre-back. Nuno got it wrong but hopefully we now understand that to be at the top, we have to play our game and not worry about them.

Fosi: Nuno cost us the match! His team selection left us totally unbalanced. What on earth was he doing? He needs help selecting his team and system if this is his idea.

John: As ever, I can't fault our effort and commitment. We hit the post twice and the crossbar. Their chances went in. It wasn't meant to be. It has still been - and it still is - a fantastic season. Heads up and beat Brentford on Thursday.

Nicholas: I worry that after this poor and insipid performance, we will finish our season with a whimper rather than a roar. To have come so far and miss out on an FA Cup final, and possibly Europe, would be a harsh kick in the teeth for a team that have played well for much of the season. We simply weren't up for the occasion and bottled it.

City fans

Brian: City had the run of the green. Luck was on their side and Forest must feel that our goal was protected at all levels. But City will be full of belief now and they held on with a clean sheet. Given their really poor mid-season, this is a remarkable position to be in. They are in a great position to win the FA Cup and achieve Champions League qualification. We would have taken both at the start of this season.

John: It just shows what a toll playing too many games is having on the players. They now have energy and enjoyment they had lost in mid-season. But what a performance from Forest - good luck to them for Champions League places!

Gene: At first, I was surprised to see Rico Lewis in the line-up, and even more so when he scored. They had possession and looked comfortable, but defensively were sloppy on multiple occasions. Forest are a counter-attacking team and were unable to capitalise on City's mistakes and poor decisions. The match could have gone either way, so City were fortunate to leave with the win.

Krish: It was quite good back to our old ways. Lewis was brilliant and so was Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic. Hopefully, Erling Haaland and Rodri get a bit of playing time against Southampton.

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Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has been speaking to ITV about the result: "It's devastating. I feel sorry for the fans. I hold my hands up and apologise. I should have scored at least one of them chances.

"As a team, we did not start well. That is what we wanted to do. Then in the second half, we came out fighting and we gave it absolutely everything.

"The support never stopped until the very last second and we thank the fans for that because they have been so consistent with us throughout the season.

"I'm lost for words really, I'm sad to go out like that. We gave it our everything but we keep going. We have still got the Premier League to focus on."

On his first chance: "I've never hit a ball as sweetly on my weak foot in my life. As soon as that hit the crossbar, I knew it wasn't going to be our day."

On his second chance: "I should score that one. I go around the goalkeeper and if I score that, it gives everyone in the stadium energy to try and go again. Even though we were 2-0 down, we showed resilience and kept fighting. That is the main thing.

"I think if we get a goal, then we get another one. That was just the flow of the game at that moment. We had a few good chances that we didn't make the most of and all I can put that down to is that it wasn't our day.

"We have a game plan that everyone believes in and sticks to. We executed it well in the first half. We nullified them, apart from their goal, and the main thing is that we came out fighting in the second half.

"Anthony [Elanga] is a big threat for us and he showed that in the second half. We've got to put this behind us now and focus on the league - five big finals. We are going to give it our absolute everything and hope for the best."

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Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to ITV after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup: "Both teams had chances. Manchester City started the game much better than ourselves and they were really clinical. We played a good game - we did well, competed well and had our chances. We knew how hard it was going to be, but we gave it our all.

"It is important to take the positives. After the sadness and bad humour goes away, and you look back at the game, it makes us stronger for the future."

On whether he should have started Anthony Elanga: "We had a lot of situations to decide. It was not an easy week to put the team together. We never know.

"We had a game plan, but everything changed in terms of the goal we conceded. But the way we responded and reacted was really positive."

On their Premier League run-in and the race for European football: "When the sadness fades and the fans go back to Nottingham and they wake up tomorrow, they will see that we still have a lot to fight for.

"We will give it our all. We will try."

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Nottingham Forest have only won one of their past eight matches in the FA Cup (D5 L2). The Reds exit this season's competition with just one win in five games (D3 L1), having progressed from all three previous rounds through penalty shootouts (against Exeter City, Ipswich Town and Brighton).

Nuno Espirito Santo's side failed to attempt a shot in the first half at Wembley, making it just the second half of football all season where they have not had at least one shot (previously against Liverpool in September 2024).

Zach Abbott (18 years and 349 days) was the youngest player to start an FA Cup game at Wembley since Marcus Rashford (18 years and 203 days) for Manchester United in the 2016 final against Crystal Palace.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Nottingham Forest's performance

What did you make of Man City's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

The second FA Cup semi-final of the weekend takes place on Sunday live from Wembley and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Nottingham Forest v Manchester City (16:30)

Listen to the match on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra here

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Pep Guardiola's team selection will be absolutely crucial here.

Both of Manchester City's goals against Aston Villa on Tuesday came from their players being prepared to run at defenders - firstly Omar Marmoush and then Jeremy Doku, who had started the game on the bench.

But Pep appears to be very cautious at the moment, and has not been using his out-and-out wingers, Doku or Savinho, very much because he wants to try to control the middle of the pitch.

Doku and Savinho both started when Forest beat City at the beginning of March, which was City's last defeat, seven games ago, but it's unlikely that they will both start at Wembley.

That does not make this tie any easier to call, though.

Forest bounced back from a couple of defeats with a win over Tottenham on Monday, which was a huge result for their top-five hopes, and we know the way they are set up to counter-attack can cause City problems.

I am not just saying this because Forest were my boyhood team, but I want anyone but City to win the FA Cup this season.

I've got nothing against City but it would be a great story if any of the other three teams won it because they have either not won anything for so long or, in Crystal Palace's case, they have never won a major trophy at all.

Despite that, I just have a feeling that City are going to put in a good performance here, and earn the right to reach their third straight FA Cup final.

As much I hate to say it, I am expecting Pep to find a way to win, the same way they did against Everton and Aston Villa - although I hope I am wrong. My predictions are so bad at the moment, there is a good chance I will be.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Former defender Steve Cook believes Nottingham Forest will have a "fan advantage" over Manchester City at Wembley in their FA Cup semi-final.

On BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast, he spoke about his experience playing for Forest at Wembley in the 2022 Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town.

Cook said: "We knew the atmosphere would be leaning in our favour, and I think that will be the same on Sunday.

"The Forest players will know they have a fan advantage and it's huge. When we walked out it was like a home match, but bigger and better.

"The fans will have a huge part to play. They played a big part in the play-off final. They'll know because every home match they turn up, and you've seen how well the players have responded to it.

"The players in the play-off final knew how much it meant, and the players now will know."

You can listen to the full podcast here

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Since the 2021-22 campaign, Ryan Yates has had a hand in eight FA Cup goals in 13 games for Nottingham Forest (four goals, four assists), five more than any other player.

He also scored the winning penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Brighton in March.

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We asked you earlier for the team talk you would give to the Forest players 15 minutes before they walk out at Wembley for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final.

Here are some of your replies:

Donna: Just play the way you have all season. Hold your heads high and enjoy it if you can. Whatever the outcome, just know that the whole of Nottingham is so proud of you all. COYR!

Mark: Fight for every ball, get in the Manchester City players' faces and don't give them a minute to rest on the ball. Be the best you can be and you know you can recover in the following days after putting all your energy and effort into the game. Fight for each other, back each other up and do it for the fans and yourselves. Go and make history.

Karl: This is it, guys. We have come this far, now let's go out there and play the way we know we can. There are 34,000 Forest fans out there and they are with you, so let's give them a team and performance they can be proud off. Work as a team and work for your brothers in arms. Let's not come off that pitch with any regrets. This is our time.

Tino: Lads, no-one wants to tell their grandchildren that they were beaten in a semi-final. Let's go give them a medal to hold! Ready... FOR NUNO AND A NEW RED-AND-WHITE DAWN!

BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray, speaking on the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football: "The whole season has been joyous. From a club perspective, they wont want this to be the culmination. They'll want 17 May, the final, or the qualification for the Champions League. That would be the culmination. But certainly this is one of the huge steps Forest have taken this season.

"We have talked about 'next steps' and this is another step for Forest, their first semi-final at the new Wembley. It is another example of how far Forest have come this season, and who knows what is to come after Sunday."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Earlier, we asked you to name the current Nottingham Forest player from a series of clues.

The correct answer is Willy Boly.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Boss Nuno Espirito Santo knows it is "impossible" to ignore the scale of Nottingham Forest's FA Cup semi final against Manchester City.

Forest face City in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1991 on Sunday as they look to continue their outstanding season.

They sit third in the Premier League with five games remaining in the race for the Champions League.

Either Crystal Palace or Aston Villa await in the final as Nuno looks to keep his squad focused.

He said: "It's the same, we have to look at the game as the same. The approach is exactly the same, you don't have to shield them, it's impossible to shield a squad when there's so much information.

"We have to go as a group of players and staff to compete. That's the best way to enjoy a semi final, to compete."

Neco Williams and captain Ryan Yates are banned for the game but will travel with the squad

Nuno added: "They can do whatever they can, all the squad is going to travel. There's going to be a moment where we are all together. They have to give a hand outside of the pitch."

Former Nottingham Forest striker Robert Earnshaw says Champions League football next season is more important to the Reds than one day of celebration in the FA Cup.

He joins Ben Croucher and former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown on The Football News Show to look ahead to Sunday's semi-final...

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City on Sunday (16:30 BST)

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Nuno is "proud" to be taking Forest to an FA Cup semi-final: "We cannot thank (the fans) enough. There's a lot going. That shows the support of the fans, the city is happy. What can I say to them? Sing as high as you can."

• The Forest boss is dealing with injuries going into the match against City: "We have a lot of concerns. We are assessing players day by day and players coming back. There's still tomorrow to go. Moreno the same and players who have had issues from previous games."

• Nuno is treating Sunday's match no different to any other: "Inside our preparation, this game is not different form any other one. We have retained our normal cycle of preparation. It's a special occasion and we have to enjoy it. It is the same approach. I am delighted we are going to Wembley to compete in a good team. It's a long journey, a stressful one, we have to compete and go and play."

• Chris Wood's return to goalscoring form is a positive: "I believe the game against Everton was hard, he was back to competing and did a good game. We felt Chris was comfortable and there's always improvement."

• Monday's Premier League win at Tottenham gives Forest confidence going into the run-in: "It helps a lot, the best way to prepare for the matches is when you perform well from the previous one. We bounced back from previous performances and the players are confident."

• Nuno wants his team to give it everything they have to reach the FA Cup final: "It's the same, we have to look at the game as the same. The approach is exactly the same, you don't have to shield them, it's impossible to shield a squad when there's much information. We have to go as a group of players and staff to compete. That's the best way to enjoy a semi-final, to compete."

Follow all of Friday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

It is a landmark day at Wembley for Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup semi-final.

It means a lot, we know that. So, if you were in the changing room 15 minutes before the off, what would you say to the players?

Send your words here

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Nottingham Forest captain Ryan Yates on missing the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City through suspension: "I try not to think about it too much. It's part and parcel. They just need to change the rules - a couple of bookings is normal for me. I'm sure the lads are going to get through it and I can have the final.

"It's going to be so special. You have to enjoy these occasions. We can't overthink it. That's not what the manager is like, Nuno is so consistent with our processes. We will treat it like any other game but knowing there is that extra little bit of excitement and anticipation."

BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray offered plenty on the looming fixture, stating: "Manchester City have been to the new Wembley 28 times. When you think about it, it is almost a full Premier League season of matches since the new Wembley was built. The other thing is six of their most recent visits have been FA Cup semi-finals. This is their seventh FA Cup semi-final in a row, so they are very used to this occasion.

"For Forest, first one at the new Wembley, first semi since 1991. Forest fans have waited a lifetime for an occasion like we will see on Sunday. That might just give Forest an edge to nullify City's experience. You never know. You never know before any Wembley game because it's about who adapts the better to the wide open spaces, the torrent of noise that we know will come from the Forest fans. It's just intriguing."

Listen to Shut Up And Show More Football featuring interviews with Yates, Jota Silva and experts on the FA Cup semi-final