Nuno Espirito Santo makes Newcastle United squad point as Nottingham Forest seek to push on

Nuno Espirito Santo is keeping his feet firmly on the ground as Nottingham Forest prepare to face Newcastle United at the City Ground. Forest have made an impressive start to the season. They are currently third in the Premier League table, amassing 19 points and suffering only one defeat in their first 10 matches.

Both Nuno and ex-Magpies striker Chris Wood have been honoured with manager and player of the month awards, yet the Portuguese boss remains focused solely on the upcoming game against Newcastle.

Speaking at a press conference, Nuno remarked: "My ambition is tomorrow, honestly. I’m not just saying, I truly believe that and I also truly believe that the players think the same way."

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He emphasised the importance of maintaining concentration, stating: "We cannot get distracted, nothing can distract us. The focus is on the pitch."

Nuno acknowledged the positive aspects of recognition but stressed the need for consistency: "Compliments and players having the recognition is good but it’s also the moment to stay on track."

He added, "What we’ve done doesn’t mean anything if we don’t do it again on Sunday against Newcastle. This is what we are thinking about – Newcastle, Newcastle."

Anticipating a challenging match, he said: "It’s going to be so hard – such a good team, such good players coming from a good result the previous weekend."

However, he also noted the excitement at the City Ground, saying: "But the City Ground’s buzzing, so this is what we are looking forward to."

Forest will welcome back midfielder James Ward-Prowse, who was unavailable against his parent club West Ham last weekend. However, Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare will still be absent due to injuries.

Despite these challenges, Nuno feels confident in his team selection, suggesting that the players are making his job easier at the moment.

He remarked: "When you have players available in good momentum, working good, helping the team, it becomes easier because you have more options, more solutions and we know that the game is not only who starts. We have immense trust and confidence in all the players of the squad."