Nottinghamshire

Ellie Molloson
Fan writer

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Sunday's fixture against Tottenham Hotspur is no longer just another league game; it is a relegation play-off.

The margin for error has evaporated. Nottingham Forest and West Ham have 29 points, with Spurs just one point ahead at 30. Whilst Spurs appear to be more comfortable than West Ham who currently sit 18th, momentum tells a different story.

West Ham have found their stride - including a gritty draw against Manchester City - and Leeds have carved out a three-point cushion. On current form, the Hammers look likely to climb clear, leaving a direct shootout between Forest and Spurs to decide who remains a Premier League team.

That means a draw is not enough. We have no choice but to win.

Both squads are packed with proven talent, yet both have struggled with confidence, stability and, at times, a lack of heart. Both are severely under-performing, and on their day, both can be unbeatable.

Football talent, skill and ability is not why either team is here and, therefore, it does not make sense to attempt to analyse the actual football here. The result will be determined by who wants it more.

The danger is that Spurs have finally begun to rally, with their fans sensing the cliff edge and the players finally showing a tiny bit of grit with their two most recent results. We cannot afford to let them find their feet. We have to treat this with the intensity of a cup final. We need to be the 12th man.

Many outlets are already discussing Forest's relegation as a foregone conclusion. Discussing what we will do if we go down, which players go out and how we can manage Europe and the Premier League. But the season is not done yet!

The media might be busy writing the post-mortem for our season, but as a very wise man once said: "I hope anybody's not stupid enough to write us off."

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Relegation rivals Tottenham and Nottingham Forest meet in north London on Sunday (14:15 GMT).

A corner turned for Spurs?

This week marked the end of the road for Tottenham in Europe but also suggested a corner may have been turned in their awful form.

After four consecutive defeats under Igor Tudor, an injury-hit Spurs side scored a last-minute equaliser against Liverpool last Sunday to earn a first point under their interim boss. That was followed by his first win in charge, a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid.

The victory couldn't save Tottenham's European campaign but, just as with the fightback against Liverpool, it was the spirited manner of the performance that gave hope to a Spurs side that has looked beleaguered in recent times.

And against Atletico, they managed to do it in front of their own fans at home, a place where their continuing struggles have been even more sharply thrown into focus.

With their awful injury crisis also showing signs of easing, there is cause for optimism among fans.

However, Tottenham remain one of only two teams in the top four tiers of English football not to have won a league match in 2026, along with already-relegated Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.

Only three Premier League sides have had longer runs without a win from the start of a calendar year, all of whom were relegated (Sunderland in 2002-03, Derby in 2007-08 and Middlesbrough in 2016-17).

Spurs are winless in 12 Premier League games (D5, L7), their longest such run since 1935. Tudor has shown he can get a reaction out of his players, now he needs them to give them his first league victory.

Forest need another Wood

Nottingham Forest's victory in this fixture last season put them third in the table and very much in the Champions League mix, a dream that was dashed only on the final day of the Premier League campaign.

Less than 12 months later, Forest are in a huge battle at the other end of the table and their lack of attacking options this season has been exposed.

Forest had scored 50 goals after 30 league matches in 2024-25; at the same stage this season, they have managed just 28, the second-lowest total in the top flight.

Chris Wood supplied 20 of Forest's 58 Premier League goals last season, but has not played since mid-October because of a knee injury.

Forest spent £160m on forwards and attacking midfielders last summer – so far they have contributed five league goals between them, while centre-forward Lorenzo Lucca, who has scored just once since arriving on loan from Napoli in January, already seems to be out of favour.

Igor Jesus, one of those summer signings, is Forest's top scorer this season with 12 goals but 10 have come in Europe.

Despite having the eighth-highest number of shots this season (384), Forest have the lowest shot conversion rate in the top flight (7.3). They have also failed to score in 14 of their 30 league games, with the 3-0 win over Spurs in the reverse fixture in mid-December the last time they scored three in a league match.

Ali Speechly
Fan writer

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If you had told me at the start of the season that our Premier League survival would hinge on a six-pointer against Nottingham Forest, I would have laughed in your face.

Seven months later, it turns out the joke is on me.

While this season has been a comedy of errors for Spurs, consecutive positive performances have shifted the momentum in our favour and we could yet have the last laugh.

If the draw against Liverpool was a turning point, the victory against Atletico Madrid confirmed that we are definitely moving in the right direction.

Three points this Sunday would ensure there is no looking back and it is essential that we secure them, by any means necessary.

With the Premier League table as delicately balanced as it is, it doesn't feel dramatic to say that the result against Forest will determine our season. Win and we avoid relegation. Lose? Well, that doesn't bear thinking about. Even a draw feels like it would be no good here.

I am still not convinced by Igor Tudor – particularly his man-management style – but with this Forest game being one of those "win at all costs" scenarios, it doesn't really matter if I like the interim manager or not.

We have reached crunch point and we will take the wins however we can come by them.

In an ideal world, that would be by playing the Tottenham way – with flair, confidence and goals that still get replayed decades later.

We have struggled to consistently replicate our glorious history in the modern era, particularly this season, but we must make sure that journey of self-rediscovery is one that takes place in the highest league of English football.

I might be biased, but I believe it is where we belong.

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The latest news and views on Forest in two minutes, every weekday afternoon.

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Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 14:15 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The players will have Friday "to recover" after travelling back from Denmark and then they will "try to tactically prepare for the match against Tottenham".

• Pereira said "mentality, energy and spirit" is more important than tactics most of the time, as that is what will put them "in good shape to go there and compete" with Spurs.

• On the magnitude of the game: "It's a very important match, but in the end it's 11 vs 11 on the pitch. It's not only about this game, we must have the mentality to get points from all eight games [remaining]."

• He said Thursday's Europa League win "proved we have a lot of options with quality to help us in this difficult battle" in the Premier League.

• On opponents Tottenham: "They've played the last two games with quality and spirit. It's going to be a tough game for us and a tough game for them."

• He wants his side to be "tactically intelligent, be compressed, defend well and when we have the ball, attack spaces and express individual qualities".

• Despite the game being away from home, Pereira said the players "need" the fans "a lot" as "in this moment, we need to be a family and fight as a family together".

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

Listen to live commentary of Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest on BBC Radio 5 Live from 14:00 GMT on Sunday. You can also hear commentary on BBC Radio Nottingham and on BBC Sounds. Hear all the build-up from 13:00.

Got a question about Forest? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

David Jackson
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

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That is why you never give up on your football team.

Everything pointed to defeat in Herning. Forest had already lost twice this season to Midtjylland, they were struggling to score goals and then at 16:30 GMT came the news that Vitor Pereira had made nine changes to his team, handing starts to several players who had failed to perform throughout the season.

But thanks to Ryan Yates' leadership, an imperious defensive display from Nikola Milenkovic, and coming-of-age performances from James McAtee and Zach Abbott, they found a way to win on what turned out to be one of the most glorious nights in Forest's recent history.

One fan described it to me in the hotel on Friday morning as the "anti-Braga" performance - the opposite of the rain-soaked game in Portugal which highlighted a disconnect between club and fans. Well the connection was very much back last night.

Seeing Yates walk back on to the pitch long after the final penalty had been skied, to applaud the fans again and show his appreciation for the air miles they've put in, showed the relationship in this messed-up, beautiful and chaotic season, is again strong.

This season has been wild. You never know what's around the corner. But that's why it's so addictive. And that's why you never give up on your football club. And it's why fans have already been busy booking flights to Porto for the quarter-final.

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We asked for your views on Nottingham Forest's penalty shootout win over Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Here are some of your comments:

John: A great performance and one that has been due for a while from some players. Great to see them seize their chance at last and hope this flows through to the remainder of the season.

James: Good run-out and performance from players who have had limited opportunities and have often been disappointing when they have been given them. Bakwa showing glimpses of why we invested in him. Hopefully the whole squad can now contribute towards a push to Premier League safety and a European final.

Rob: Great performance from many who started, who are usually on the bench - good use of squad by Vitor Pereira. Great to progress - Porto next, though not ideal we went into extra time, with a key match against Spurs on Sunday.

Steve: Forest deserved to progress, playing the best over two legs. It's a shame it went the distance as Sunday could decide our Premier League future. A great night for Yates, I'm really pleased for him! Just need to bring these goals to the Premier League, especially the City Ground! We can do this!

Sean: Considering the amount of changes and that this line-up was our "B" team, what a performance! This time with goals. What could be more fitting than Mr Forest Ryan Yates scoring the winner in normal time? And we kept our nerve on penalties to finally get a result against Midtjylland, who have had our number for a while now. This could be the result and performance that helps us on both fronts, starting on Sunday against Tottenham.

England manager Thomas Tuchel has named his 35-man squad for the two friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur).

There are 13 players involved who weren't in the last squad back in November, while there's a first senior call-up for Everton midfielder James Garner and Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.

Jess Anderson
BBC Sport journalist

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While the Europa League will continue to offer respite from an otherwise difficult season for Nottingham Forest, the additional games present challenges.

Forest will take on Porto in the quarter-final on 9 and 16 April, welcome Aston Villa to the City Ground in between the two legs and then host Burnley the following weekend.

Winning games means positive momentum and that can only be a help when it comes to fighting to stay in the league.

But it also means more games and Vitor Pereira, who is set to take charge in his first European quarter-final, must find the balance between keeping his side in the top flight and managing the demands of competing in Europe.

"When we win it's different," Pereira said after their penalty shootout win over Midtjylland.

"The spirit is different, the energy is different and the boys deserve it because they are a fantastic group, very good players and with team spirit, character - we showed everything today.

"I don't have any doubt that we have the quality and we will compete to achieve our targets."

Yates added: "That winning feeling is special, you want to keep that momentum going.

"Momentum at this stage of the season is huge. We're not going to get ahead of ourselves. Recover now, focus on Tottenham now and keep building, keep getting those wins.

"It's not over yet, we're still dreaming."