Forest hopeful of Gibbs-White fitness for Europa tie

Morgan-Gibbs White might need a "miracle" to be ready for Nottingham Forest's Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa - but his head coach Vitor Pereira is hopeful.

Gibbs-White and Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez both had to come off with their heads bandaged after they collided during Forest's 3-1 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Forest, unbeaten in 10 matches in all competitions, take a 1-0 lead into Thursday's match at Villa Park.

"He has a deep cut, we will see, he is a fighter and we hope for a miracle," said Pereira.

"We'll see what happens. I really believe we can have him next game. I said to him: Don't head the ball, just play."

The midfielder posted a photo on social media on Monday night, thanking people for their messages and showing the stitches across his forehead and nose.

Sanchez also posted a photo of some stitches at the top of his head and added in reference to Gibbs-White: "Seen that you came out worst [worse] than me, hope you are OK big man."

Image caption,

Gibbs-White uploaded an image to Instagram on Monday

Pereira said that Gibbs-White's substitution was not related to concussion, so he is not subject to strict protocols surrounding such head injuries.

That means that his availability for Thursday is only dependent on whether the cut on his face heals in time.

Had Gibbs-White been judged to be concussed, he would probably have been ruled out. Players must not return to activity for at least 24 hours before undergoing a 48-hour period of rest and a six-stage "return to play" process.

Premier League teams are permitted to make one concussion replacement per match, which do not count towards their usual substitution limits. used that dispensation during Monday's match for youngster Jesse Derry.