Ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town at the City Ground, Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo has expressed admiration for their opponents. The match marks the first meeting between the two sides in the top division since the 1990s, with Forest in good form following a strong start to the season. Despite this, Nuno remains wary of Ipswich’s quality, especially after their impressive displays against top teams like Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
“Ipswich are a very competitive team,” Nuno said in his pre-match press conference. “They play with a lot of energy and intensity, so we know it will be a tough encounter. Every team, coach, and player will be focused on one goal—to win. I’m sure Ipswich will come here with that same determination. We’re all on the same page, and we’re focused on delivering a strong performance and securing a good result.”
After suffering back-to-back losses to Newcastle United and Arsenal, Forest are keen to return to winning ways, particularly as they face another challenging series of fixtures ahead. Nuno highlighted the need to strengthen the team’s defensive resilience, stressing that the main objective against Ipswich will be to keep a clean sheet.
“Of course, we’re concerned when we don’t perform well, but even after victories, we are always looking for areas to improve,” Nuno acknowledged. “The key is to keep working hard, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on. Credit to our opponents—they’ve been playing well, but we must address our defensive shortcomings. We can’t afford to concede too many goals; that only makes it harder to win and play well.”
Nuno also pointed out the importance of scoring first and how conceding early in a match can change its dynamics. “The first priority is to keep a clean sheet, it’s as simple as that,” he explained.
On the injury front, Nuno confirmed that the club is monitoring the fitness of three players—Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga, and Elliot Anderson—with their availability for tomorrow’s match still uncertain. “We’re assessing the players daily,” Nuno said. “Danilo is improving as well, and we’ll see how everyone is tomorrow to determine who can help the team.”
