Nottingham Forest face Burnley at the City Ground this afternoon in a huge Premier League clash
13:58, 19 Apr 2026
Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest looks on during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Burnley at City Ground
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Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest looks on during the warm up prior to the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Burnley at City Ground
Head coach Vitor Pereira left it up to Elliot Anderson to decide whether he wanted to play for Nottingham Forest against Burnley, following the death of his mother.
Anderson missed the Reds’ Europa League win over Porto on Thursday night following the family bereavement. He is back in the starting XI against the Clarets this afternoon.
During the pre-match warm-up at the City Ground, the home crowd showed their support for the midfielder by serenading him with the ‘Geordie Maradona’ chant. Before they headed down the tunnel to the changing room, the entire Forest squad posed with Anderson, who held up a shirt with the No.8 and ‘Mum’ on it.
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Pereira said in a pre-match interview: "He wants to play. It was his decision, he wants to be on the pitch with his teammates. He wants to help the club, even for himself I think it was a good decision."
In addition to welcoming Anderson back to the side, Forest were boosted by Murillo and Chris Wood being passed fit to play. Both had been substituted against Porto in midweek.
Wood had been on the receiving end of a very heavy tackle and was taken off very early on in the game. Fortunately for the New Zealand international, the challenge was to the opposite knee to which he recently had surgery.
Murillo went down late on in the game and made way in the final minutes. Winger Callum Hudson-Odoi came off at the same time as the defender, but he is not in the squad this afternoon and was seen at the City Ground using crutches.
Pereira said of Wood: "It was not serious and he is in a condition to play at this level."
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He added of the game: "Very difficult. At this moment of the season, the games are very tough and to get points is difficult.
“I don't want excuses, I just want my team to think about winning the game and being the best version of themselves to prove we deserve to play in this league."
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He continued: "It's very important. Nothing stops us going on the pitch to give everything and give three points."
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