Forest kick off their Premier League season against Brentford, with new Bees boss Keith Andrews overseeing his first competitive match after Thomas Frank left for Tottenham Hotspur. Brentford triumphed 2-0 at The City Ground last season and will aim to repeat that success.

Nuno criticises Nottingham Forest’s summer planning

Next weekend, Forest face another London side as they travel to Crystal Palace. Oliver Glasner’s men open their league campaign against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

In a frank interview with Sky Sports, Nuno admitted Brentford and Palace are clear favourites for the games. He stated: “We are very, very far from where we need to be. Extremely far in preparation, planning, and our squad. Everyone is worried that in just a few days, we’re playing in the Premier League – the toughest competition in the world – and we’re unprepared.

“Our planning fell through, our squad building was flawed, and we didn’t get to form unity with the players. We have players training who already know they’ll be sent out on loan. It’s a huge problem.”

Nottingham Forest replace Palace in the Europa League

Forest’s trip to Palace could be a tense encounter. The Midlands side now occupy Palace’s Europa League spot after raising concerns to Uefa over their rivals’ breach of ownership regulations.

Forest have invested heavily this summer, bringing in Dan Ndoye, Igor Jesus, and Jair Cunha, but Nuno still believes more work was needed. He explained: “Europa or Conference League – it makes no difference. We know it’s a new challenge either way. But in terms of preparation, nothing changed. What matters is the lost opportunity.

“I’m telling you, no matter the competition, we missed a key moment to do better. With two weeks left in the window, we’ll reassess things, but we already lost time we can’t get back. The season is starting, and we’ll see how we manage. The squad is unbalanced with limited options. We’re taking a major gamble just stepping onto the pitch.”