Nottingham Forest face a big week with games to come against Aston Villa and Chelsea over the next few days, and a trip back to 1986 might give the Reds some inspiration.
Forest have looked formidable over the last eight games, with Vitor Pereira starting to reap the rewards of his meticulous training sessions and encouraging man-management approach.
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The Reds face a tough few days in the quest for European glory and Premier League survival, but under Pereira, it does feel as though anything is now possible.
Seeing Forest play teams like Aston Villa and Chelsea has been common practice for fans of a certain age, and indeed, over the last four years, during which the Reds have been in the Premier League.
Now, a trip back to 1986 can offer the class of 2026 some inspiration going into two massive games.
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Amazing coincidence ahead of Forest tests with Villa and Chelsea
Forest were one of the best teams in the country back in 1986, and the fixture list back in September of that year threw up back-to-back games with Aston Villa and Chelsea.
On that occasion, Forest defeated both teams with relative ease, beating Villa 6-0, before thrashing Chelsea 6-2 at Stamford Bridge.
It represented a very positive time for Brian Clough’s Forest team, and he always knew how to get Forest up for the very big games.
Clearly, in 2026, with Forest sitting 16th in the Premier League table, the games with Villa and Chelsea will prove more problematic than they did in 1986.
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However, there is no reason why Forest can’t put on a bit of a show in both fixtures and showcase exactly how far they’ve come amidst this very good form of late.
The Reds know they will be up against it in both games, but there is a weird sense of irony when you look back to 1986, and two victories in the coming days could set Forest up nicely to finish the campaign with a flourish.
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