Forest will ignore top five cushion: Nuno

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo insists the cushion of an extra Champions League place for English clubs will not change his approach as they chase a top five finish.

Midweek results mean finishing fifth in the Premier League will now guarantee a place in next season’s Champions League, as opposed to the usual top four spots going into Europe’s elite club competition.

Third-placed Forest hold a five-point lead over sixth-placed Manchester City ahead of Saturday’s home game against Everton.

A first Champions League appearance since 1980-81 is within Forest’s grasp, but Nuno is adamant he won’t take anything for granted.

“It’s in our hands. It opens one more space, so more contenders, but in terms of us it doesn’t change anything,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“Our approach will be the same, it is day by day, preparing the players and preparing for the game and I think we have a great opportunity to achieve something great.

“There are different pressures. Last season it was in our hands to decide our own fate and we achieved it but we were fighting for survival.

“Now we are fighting for something magical, we have motivation and ambition. But pressure is about performing and competing well.”

Nuno is sweating on the fitness of several players ahead the Everton clash.

He has been without leading scorer Chris Wood since he returned injured from New Zealand duty, with fellow striker Taiwo Awoniyi, Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga also dealing with fitness issues.

“We are still assessing all of them as they were struggling with some problems: some small, some not so small,” Nuno said.

“It depends on how they recover and how they feel.”