Nuno Espirito Santo says Nottingham Forest still in control of Champions League chase

LONDON – Nuno Espirito Santo says Nottingham Forest’s Champions League qualification bid is still “in our hands” despite back-to-back English Premier League defeats.

Losses to Aston Villa and Everton over the past two weeks have seen Forest slip from third to sixth, with just six games to go, after the fixtures on April 20.

Just two points separate third-placed Newcastle (59) from Villa in seventh spot.

Newcastle, Manchester City and Villa are all hitting form as they chase a top-five finish that would guarantee qualification for Europe’s elite club competition next season, with Chelsea also in the mix.

Two-time European champions Forest are behind Chelsea and ahead of Villa on goal difference with all on 57 points, and they play at Tottenham Hotspur on April 21.

Nuno, whose side had occupied a top-four spot since December, said at his pre-match press conference on April 17 that his men would not go quietly.

“Nothing has changed since last week – it is up to us, it’s in our hands, we can’t control other teams, we can’t control the results. We have to focus, and it’s about improvement. Now it’s about reacting and improving,” he said.

“The expectation around us started the moment we were able to perform and get results. We embrace the challenges, we are not stepping back. We are stepping in. We want to embrace it. We want to try and get it.”

Forest have not played in Europe’s elite competition since the 1980-81 season, when they were two-time defending champions under former manager Brian Clough.

Spurs, on the hand, are having a wretched league campaign, closer to the relegation places than the European spots. They have dropped to 16th ahead of Forest’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, embattled manager Ange Postecoglou got a bit of a