Nottingham Forest are sweating on two defensive injuries ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg against Aston Villa.
Jair Cunha was forced off in the 50th minute of Friday’s 5-0 win over Sunderland clutching his arm
Murillo is already absent with a suspected hamstring injury picked up against Burnley
Morato stepped in for Cunha against Sunderland and could start against Villa on Thursday
Teenager Zach Abbott is also available having featured in the Europa League campaign
Cunha concern. Forest’s defensive crisis deepens
Nottingham Forest’s preparations for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg have been dealt a significant blow.
Centre-back Jair Cunha was forced off in the 50th minute of Friday’s 5-0 victory over Sunderland, leaving the pitch clutching his arm in obvious discomfort.
The sight will have alarmed Vitor Pereira considerably given the timing and context of the injury.
The Portuguese manager was candid about his concerns when speaking post-match.
“We will see; I am concerned about this because if we lose players in the same position at this time, it is a big problem,” Pereira admitted.
“I am not a doctor, so we will see.” That measured but worried response reflects a coaching staff facing a genuine and pressing selection headache with less than a week until one of the biggest games in Forest’s recent European history.
Character and quality in abundance. 💪
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 25, 2026
Murillo already out. The context makes it worse
The Cunha situation is particularly alarming because it arrives on top of an existing defensive absence. Murillo: another Brazilian centre-back and one of Forest’s most important defensive performers, picked up a suspected hamstring injury during the 4-1 victory over Burnley the previous weekend.
The 23-year-old has not featured since and remains a serious doubt for Thursday’s first leg at the City Ground.
Losing both Brazilian centre-backs simultaneously would represent a crippling blow to Forest’s defensive organisation ahead of what promises to be one of the most demanding European assignments the club has faced in decades.
Villa’s attacking firepower, demonstrated most vividly in the 7-1 aggregate demolition of Bologna, makes defensive solidity an absolute prerequisite for Forest if they are to reach the final.
The alternatives: Morato and Abbott step up
Forest are not entirely without options. Morato, a third Brazilian centre-back in Pereira’s defensive unit replaced Cunha against Sunderland on Friday and would be first in line to start alongside an available partner if both Cunha and Murillo fail to recover in time.
Furthermore, 19-year-old Zach Abbott has accumulated Europa League experience throughout the campaign, providing the Portuguese manager with a young but tested alternative if required.
Neither represents a like-for-like replacement for the quality that Cunha and Murillo bring when fit.
Villa’s opportunity: attack the uncertainty
Villa travel to the City Ground on Thursday having already seen Callum Hudson-Odoi ruled out for the season.
A Forest backline potentially missing two of its most experienced centre-backs represents an opportunity that Emery’s side, nine consecutive Europa League victories to their name, must identify and ruthlessly exploit from the first whistle.