Ola Aina urged the Nottingham Forest fans to turn up the volume ahead of the Reds’ UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg against Aston Villa.
Forest take on their fellow Premier League side on Thursday evening in the first of two legs to determine which club will progress to the final of the competition in Istanbul in May.
Both sides have a history in European competition, with the Reds winning back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, while the Villans lifted the prestigious trophy in 1982.
Huge Test For Forest
Aina says the Reds will have to be on top form to overcome Unai Emery’s side but, with the backing of the City Ground, the defender is confident Forest can progress against Villa.
“Two historic clubs in their own rights in Europe, two competitive teams. It’s going to be a cracker and a tough game for both sides, but one that we will all relish,” Aina told the club’s official website.
“We need to be on top form and we’ll need the fans behind us, and hopefully we can get the result that we want.
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“It’s undeniable that we have fantastic players here and we’re able to match most teams, if not every team that we come up against. That’s the confidence I have in my teammates and in what we’re doing.
“I feel like we can go into any game and give a good account of ourselves and definitely do things to win games. We’ve got good wingers, good midfielders, good defenders and good forwards.
“We have the formula; just on the day we need that luck.
“I feel like we’ll get a different Aston Villa than we played a few weeks ago, but the goal is the same; we’ve got to go out there to win a game of football. We’re just going to give our best and hopefully, when the final whistle goes, it’s a fantastic result for us.”
Aina Rallies Supporters
The defender highlighted the important role the supporters can play in the fixture and urged the Forest faithful to crank up the noise on Trentside ahead of the contest.
“They’ll help us a lot, we need them to crank it up for us and we need to hear them throughout the whole game because they do drive us forward a lot,” added Aina.
“They should get the volume up in the City Ground. It’s a semi-final of a European competition, so we might as well have fun while we’re here, which is what we’re all looking forward to.”
