Hutchinson calls for Forest focus despite ´massive boost´ from Europa League exploits

Omari Hutchinson says Nottingham Forest’s run to the Europa League semi-finals has been a “massive boost to the club”, with the Tricky Trees also improving their Premier League survival hopes.

Forest are halfway towards reaching the Europa League final, after they beat domestic rivals Aston Villa 1-0 in Thursday’s first leg at the City Ground.

Forest have only been eliminated once in their last 13 knockout ties after winning the first leg, with the lone exception coming in the 1983–84 UEFA Cup semi-final against Anderlecht.

Vitor Pereira’s side are also unbeaten in their last nine matches in all competitions, a run which has also seen them move five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with four matches remaining.

Forest’s bid to retain their top-flight status continues when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday, and Hutchinson called for continued focus from his team-mates.

The City Ground.pic.twitter.com/V66Bhto49q

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) May 2, 2026

“I think for us getting to the semi-final has been a massive boost to the club, to us players, because it’s very hard to get into the semi-finals,” he told Flashscore.com.

“If we get to the final, it’s going to be amazing for the club and for everyone, really.

“It’s about recovery. I think we’ve got to recover fast and just treat our bodies right.

“We’ve just got to dig through it. It’s the last four games now, so we’ve just got to dig deep and keep going.

“We want to win all our games. I think we’ve got massive confidence now, we’ve been winning a lot. I think next week, we can get at [Villa in the second leg] again.”