Injury-hit Reds are hurt by poor start in loss to Villa

A FINAL sprint for the Champions League line will be a test of Nottingham Forest's resolve, resilience and perhaps also their resources, as well as their nerve.

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That the Reds have guts and an indomitable spirit is not in question. They showed as such once again in challenging circumstances away to Aston Villa on Saturday evening. Nuno Espirito Santo's side remain third in the Premier League table and still have the edge in the race to qualify for Europe's elite, despite a 2-1 defeat in the West Midlands. But they can feel their rivals breathing heavily down their neck.

This is the business end of the campaign; it was always going to get a bit tense and edgy with seven games to go. Herem we look at some of the big talking points from Forest's loss at Villa Park.

■INJURY WOES

For much of this season, the Reds have been able to field a relatively settled side. They have a very strong first XI and have benefitted from the consistency of being able to utilise it, for the most part.

Take out even just a few of those players, though, and Nuno's squad all of a sudden looks stretched. That was certainly the case on Saturday. Chris Wood (hip), Ola Aina (calf) and Alex Moreno (ineligible) were already ruled out, then Taiwo Awoniyi added to the list of absentees with a hamstring problem.

Being without their first-choice striker and one of their full-backs, as well as the back-ups to both, only added to the complexities of an already tough-looking contest.

Villa made a raft of changes themselves but still named a very good XI and had plenty in reserve on the bench, with the likes of Marcus Rashford and John McGinn able to come on. That showed the contrast in depth between the two teams.

How quickly Forest's walking wounded return will be key. And to add to their concerns, Anthony Elanga came off at half-time with a problem and will undergo a scan.