Forest striker Igor Jesus details 'dream' of guiding club to Europa League glory
Although manager Vitor Pereira appears to focus more on preserving Forest's position in the top flight rather than their debut European campaign since the 1995/96 season, by benching key players during their last 16 penalty triumph against Midtjylland, the Europa League remains the arena where Forest have excelled most this year.
No player embodies this more than Igor Jesus, the forward who joined the City Ground from Botafogo in Brazil over the summer.
The 25 year old has scored only three times in 30 Premier League outings this season, yet he has shone brightly in the Europa League on Thursdays, tying for the leading scorer spot with seven goals.
"Getting to the final and winning the Europa League would be a dream come true, especially as the top scorer," Igor Jesus shared with UEFA's website on Tuesday.
That said, the winner of the 2024 Copa Libertadores recognises that facing Porto in the last eight will truly challenge their ambitions.
"Porto have got a great team," he remarked. "They've got a lot of quality. We've also got quality. We know it won't be an easy game, in fact, it'll be really tough. However, we're willing to fight."
Igor Jesus noted that Forest will approach Thursday's opening match at the Estadio do Dragao with full concentration, aiming for a favourable outcome to protect in the return fixture next week.
While Forest sit in 16th in the Premier League, four points clear of relegation, Porto lead the Portuguese Primeira Liga comfortably.
Still, the English club can draw reassurance from being the sole team to defeat Porto in European action this season, securing a 2 0 victory at home on league phase matchday three via penalties from Morgan Gibbs White and Igor Jesus.
'Want more now'
Meanwhile, fellow Premier League team Aston Villa face a challenging away game against Coppa Italia champions Bologna in their quarter final opener.
As Unai Emery's side have slipped from the domestic title contention, the Europa League represents their sole viable path to a trophy this year.
If anyone can lead Villa to their first silverware since 2001, it is Emery in that very tournament, the Europa League.
The Spaniard has claimed the competition four times as a manager and has now steered Villa into three straight quarter finals across the Europa League and Champions League.
Villa skipper John McGinn, after clinching their last eight berth with a 3 0 aggregate win over Lille, stated that "they want more now".
"We need to take it one game at a time and keep pushing on, all the way," the Scottish player continued.
However, Bologna, fresh from overcoming higher profiled Roma in the previous round, aim to pull off yet another shock.
"We face Aston Villa again, a team we've faced twice (both losses) in the last two seasons. We will be the underdogs again but we will try to surprise again," Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano commented following the 5 4 aggregate success that earned their place in the last eight.
For the remaining quarter final first legs, LaLiga outfit Real Betis head north in Iberia to meet Portuguese outfit Braga on Wednesday, whereas Bundesliga side Freiburg host Spanish team Celta Vigo on Thursday.
Crystal Palace's encounter with Fiorentina at home stands out as the highlight among the UEFA Conference League quarter final first legs, all scheduled for Thursday.