Nottingham Forest will be without midfielder Elliott Anderson against Porto on Thursday night following the death of his mother, but the club has expressed its condolences.
Elliott Anderson will miss Thursday night’s game against Nottingham Forest (Image: Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Nottingham Forest have confirmed that Elliott Anderson will miss the Europa League game against Porto following the death of his mother.
The Premier League side, who drew 1-1 last week, will face Portugal in the second leg of the quarter-finals. Anderson remains an integral part of Forest’s side, but they will have to go without the England midfielder.
Anderson did not train yesterday for the second leg at the City Ground. Coach Vitor Pereira said in the pre-match press conference that he did not know whether Andersson would be available for the game.
In a statement, the club said: “Elliott Anderson will be unable to play tonight following the passing of his beloved mother Helen. Everyone at Nottingham Forest Football Club would like to express our deepest condolences to Elliott and his family on this very sad news. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the Anderson family at this difficult time.”
In response, Porto said: “Our thoughts are with Elliott Anderson and his family tonight. Everyone at FC Porto sends our deepest condolences at this difficult time.”
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Pereira named his starting XI, making five changes from the 1-1 draw against Portugal seven days ago. Neco Williams, Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangare, Omari Hutchinson and Jair Cunha are in the starting lineup.
Forest’s draw with Aston Villa at the weekend boosted their hopes of remaining in the Premier League. It was a welcome distraction as they juggled their domestic hopes with their European ambitions.
Nottingham Forest drew with Porto at the Estadio do Dragon a week ago (Image: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock)
The Nottingham side defeated Fenerbahce in the knockout play-off and defeated Midtjylland on penalties in the last 16. They have already defeated Porto earlier in the Europa League, recording a 2-0 win at the City Ground.
Speaking ahead of kick-off, Pereira said: “This is the night you want in football, whether as a manager, as a player, as a member of the staff or as a supporter. Just for now, we have a great chance to reach the European semi-finals and I’m really looking forward to the game. Progressing this far in any competition is no accident. Porto are a strong team with a lot of quality, so we need to give our best.”
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