Gary O'Neill praised Nottingham Forest as a formidable force and urged Ipswich to fight to the end.

The 2026/27 Premier League season will enter its eighth round of competition, with newly promoted Ipswich Town hosting Nottingham Forest at Portman Road. Gary O'Neill stated that Glasner's team is always threatening, therefore urging the "Tractor Boys" to fight to the very end, no matter the circumstances.

In the last round of the Premier League, Ipswich Town lost 2-3 to Maresca's team after falling behind, thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Zian Fleming.

In addition, Nottingham Forest lost 0-1 to defending champions Arsenal in the last round. Ipswich Town are currently 10th in the standings with 9 points, while Nottingham Forest are 19th with 5 points.

It is worth noting that Ipswich Town has lost their last three matches against Nottingham Forest.

Ipswich Town manager Gary O'Neill said, "I think this will be our toughest game so far, aside from the top teams in the league. It's always exceptionally difficult against teams like Manchester United, Liverpool, and Manchester City."

"However, Nottingham Forest under Glasner will also be a great challenge for us. Their defense is always difficult to break down, they are good at making opponents struggle, and they are very threatening in transition. Even if they don't have much possession, they can always find a way to create threats. If we want to achieve the results we expect, we must put on a very good performance."

Gary O'Neal emphasized, "We all have to give it our all, including myself, the coaching staff and the players, and the 30,000 fans in the arena. Whether we get off to a fast start and take the lead, or we have to grit our teeth and hold on until the very last minute, we have to give it our all and keep going until the final buzzer. I know the fans will be there for us, and we hope to get another positive result."

When discussing the current roster situation, Gary O'Neal said, "Sasha Lukic won't be available for this game; his recovery time is a little longer than expected. However, although he missed this game, it's almost certain that he'll be back in practice early next week."

“We have more time to recover before next week’s game against Hull City. Therefore, our plan is to let him miss this game, make sure he can return to training next week and be fully prepared for the next game, rather than risk letting him catch up for this game.”

Gary O'Neal also stated, "We might be able to let him play, but that would be risky. With the current arrangements in place, we hope he will be fully recovered and ready to play next week."

Image source: Internet