Vitor Pereira must axe Morgan Gibbs-White vs Chelsea, he will regret it otherwise

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Credit: Imago Sat 2 May 2026 9:45, UK Vitor Pereira must make the bold decision to drop Morgan Gibbs-White for Nottingham Forest’s upcoming match against Chelsea.The Reds are still fighting relegation in the Premier League but took a significant step towards safety last week with a 5-0 victory over Sunderland.As a result, they currently sit five points clear of Tottenham Hotspur, who sit 18th, with four games left to play.Given this gap and the fact that Forest have a massive Europa League semi-final second leg on the horizon, Pereira would be wise to make changes.If he does, it could give Forest a major advantage at Villa Park on Thursday. ⚽ Nottingham Forest Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Nottingham Forest fixture. VISIT THE FOREST MATCH HUB MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES Nottingham Forest should rotate for Chelsea While it would no doubt be risky given their current circumstances, Forest should look to rest as many key players as possible for their trip to Stamford Bridge.This includes players such as Gibbs-White, who has been on fire for the Reds in recent weeks.TeamOdds of winningNottingham Forest32.95%Aston Villa27.51%Braga25.95%Freiburg13.59%Forest are now the favourites to lift the cup: OptaA defeat against Chelsea would likely change little, especially if Villa are able to beat Spurs on Sunday.With Forest already up against it, given Unai Emery’s side have an extra day’s rest, they need to try and get as many advantages as they can get.If not, Pereira could come to regret it at the end of the season, especially if Spurs do not even match their current points total of 39.Will Nottingham Forest reach the Europa League final?Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness exclusively told Football Insider that Nottingham Forest have the upper hand in the semi-finals.This is because Aston Villa have been out of form lately, while Forest are arguably playing their best football all season, much thanks to Pereira’s tactics.This was evident on Thursday, with the visitors barely laying a glove on the Reds despite their far superior position in the Premier League table."We can only control what we can control" 🤷‍♂️Morgan Gibbs-White admits he'll be watching Aston Villa-Tottenham this weekend, but insists they can only do their own job against Chelsea on Monday.📺 @tntsports on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/cuSkxPPu3z— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 30, 2026 Now, the task for Forest will be to ensure that their first leg victory does not end in vain, and they continue where they left off at Villa Park.If not, it could be a tricky night for the Reds, especially if Villa are able to gain some momentum from their match against Spurs on Sunday.

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