Injuries may well have an impact on Vitor Pereira’s team selection for Nottingham Forest’s Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa. The Reds host their Premier League rivals at the City Ground on Thursday night (8pm kick-off) in the first leg of the last-four tie. The teams will then meet again at Villa Park a week later to determine who progresses to next month’s final in Istanbul. When it comes to picking his starting XI for this week’s clash, Pereira’s hand could be forced to some extent – particularly in terms of his back line. Murillo was already expected to miss out due to injury, then fellow Brazilian centre-back Jair Cunha added to the list of walking wounded when he was forced off against Sunderland last week. Jair appeared to be in significant discomfort as he clutched his arm when he made way in the second half of the Reds’ 5-0 rout at the Stadium of Light. Pereira admitted afterwards to being concerned about the 21-year-old. WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football’s greatest tournament – Buy the Special Edition today If both Jair and Murillo are ruled out, it would likely scupper any thoughts the Forest boss had of potentially going with a back three. Morato would almost certainly be the man to step in alongside Nikola Milenkovic, with Zach Abbott the back-up on the bench. Stefan Ortega seems certain to take up position between the posts. Pereira has favoured the former Manchester City man in Europe and he has played well in previous rounds. The goalkeeper and left-sided centre-back positions aside, there is an argument for going full-strength. European semi-finals do not come around often, and Forest will want to seize the opportunity. They need to make sure they have something to play for when they travel to the West Midlands. Given the form they have been in, continuity can also help with maintaining momentum. Pereira still has to perform a juggling act between continental and domestic demands. He would no doubt have liked to have gone into this week with a bigger gap between Forest and the Premier League relegation zone. As it is, the club are five points above the bottom three with four games remaining and still have work to do to secure survival. There is still a balance to be struck, but the Reds do not want to end this term with regrets. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Get all the Nottingham Forest latest via our Facebook page In the absence of winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, Pereira has hit upon a set-up that works. Playing Igor Jesus behind Chris Wood and moving Morgan Gibbs-White to the left – with some freedom to roam – served the team well in the north east and in the second half against Burnley. If he does want to make changes, Pereira could always opt to drop Jesus or Wood to the bench, move Gibbs-White back into the middle and go with Dan Ndoye out wide. It would give him the option of bringing on Wood or Jesus with the aim of making an impact later in the game. Nicolas Dominguez, too, is capable of operating on the flank if Pereira goes more defensive minded. The Argentine and Ryan Yates are also options for the centre of the pitch, if there is a desire to freshen things up. It surely makes sense to go all-in from the off, though. That would mean sticking with the partnership of Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson that has proved effective in midfield. Forest: Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Jesus, Gibbs-White, Wood.