Elliot Anderson: Everything Vitor Pereira said about Nottingham Forest star’s absence ahead of Porto
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Credit: Imago Wed 15 April 2026 14:41, UK Elliot Anderson was a surprise absentee from Nottingham Forest‘s training session ahead of a huge Europa League clash against FC Porto.Vitor Pereira is already without John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly with long-term injuries, but it was believed that Forest’s No.8 was missing due to personal reasons on Wednesday, 15 April.Anderson has been a standout player at the City Ground this season, earning his first caps for the England national team and catching the attention of some Premier League giants.Despite battling relegation for much of 2025-26, the Reds can finish the campaign with European success, but Porto stand in Forest’s way following a 1-1 draw in the quarter-final first leg last week.Credit: Imago / Opta Joe ⚽ Nottingham Forest Matchday ⚽ Team news, line-ups, expert previews and tactical analysis for every Nottingham Forest fixture. VISIT THE FOREST MATCH HUB Vitor Pereira relieves fears over Elliot Anderson ahead of PortoAnderson was suspended for the first leg, but with his red card now served, many are expecting him to be thrown straight into the lineup against the Portuguese giants on Thursday, 16 April.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES The midfielder sparked fears when he was missing from training the day before, though, and Pereira has now cleared up the situation before Forest go into a season-defining game at the City Ground.In his pre-match press conference, he said, “Today he was not able to train because he has personal problems and we have to respect that. We’ll see about whether he can play tomorrow.”Elliot Anderson’s injury recordClubGames missedBack injuryNewcastle United25QuarantineNewcastle United2Pereira has done little to clear up the situation.
Of course, he doesn’t want to provide any knowledge to Porto, so supporters will have to wait until the lineup comes out.How could Nottingham Forest line up at the City Ground?Although the Reds are used to a back-four formation in the Premier League, that is likely to change when facing Porto for a spot in the Europa League semi-finals.Stefan Ortega has certainly done enough to keep his spot in between the sticks, and he should expect to have a trio of Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Morato.That would likely mean having wing-backs of Dilane Bakwa and Dan Ndoye, both of whom impressed in the first leg, with Anderson joined in midfield by Nicolas Dominguez.The duo should allow for Morgan Gibbs-White, James McAtee and Igor Jesus to cause chaos in the final third, supported by two flying full-backs and the entire crowd at the City Ground. Don’t Miss a Beat: Your Nottingham Forest Insider Access Get the full story from the City Ground and the Forest Training Centre with our dedicated expert hubs: Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the banks of the River Trent.