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Find your frequency hereChris Wood: From relegation fears to European dreams
Kieran Bingham • August 12th, 2025 11:35 am
Photo: Mark Leech/Photosport
After a stunning 2024/25 Premier League season that saw Nottingham Forest defy expectations and finish seventh, Chris Wood is gearing up for what could be one of the most memorable chapters in his career, playing European football at the City Ground.
Speaking to Sport Nation's Riccardo Ball and other media, Wood reflected on the team’s achievement and the buzz surrounding Forest’s return to Europe following Crystal Palace’s Europa League spot being passed on due to off-field ownership drama.
"It's going to be fantastic," Wood said.
"Bringing European games back to the City Ground is going to be quite special. It's got a big history around European games. It's brilliant for everybody involved in the club."
Wood will take on his second Europa League campaign, the first being with Birmingham in the 2011/12 season, which included a memorable added-time winner against Belgian side Club Brugge.
Through personal success, the moment carries extra meaning. Forest’s rich European legacy, including two European Cups in the late 1970s, sets the stage for a long-awaited return to continental competition.
"We're in a competition where we have a chance of progressing and doing well. But it's not going to be easy of course. It's Europa League, it's going to be very tough. But we're looking forward to the challenge."
Asked about the motivation behind Forest's breakout season, Wood downplayed any external noise from pundits who tipped the club for another relegation battle.
"It didn't really bother us too much. We know we'd been in a relegation fight the last two seasons, so I can see why they tipped us that way. But internally, we believed we had a team that can compete and improve and push our way up the table."
Photo: AP
Their own expectations were more modest.
"We had envisioned a tenth or in between 12th and 10th, and if we could nick into the top half, that would have been great. Obviously, we exceeded all expectations on everybody's behalf. We just got confidence from there and carried on in a roll."
The Europa League place, which comes amid drama around Crystal Palace's eligibility, has sparked discussion around a potential grudge when the sides meet. But Wood is clear, the players aren’t getting drawn into it.
"Potentially it will be a bit spicy, but between us as players, I'm sure we're not too bothered. It wasn't ever down to us. We finished seventh and it is what it is," Wood says with a smile.
"They won the FA Cup and done extremely well. It might be a bit feisty between the fans, but for us, it's just another day at the office."
Nottingham Forest replace Crystal Palace in Europa League | Sport Nation
With European football comes a packed fixture list, and Wood knows the demands will be immense.
"We're going to have like 55 games. It's going to be very tough and it's going to be a long season.
"We're going to need the whole squad of 24 we've got in the building at the moment. And I'm sure we'll have a few more come through. We're going to need everybody."
Personally, the season ahead holds even more weight for the 32-year-old striker, who is eyeing a major milestone.
"It would be pretty damn huge in my opinion and I'd be very happy with it," Wood said of potentially reaching 100 Premier League goals. Currently on 89, he knows it’s a target that will take hard work.
"It's not going to come easy. I have to make sure I'm on top of my game to be able to achieve it. But yeah, it is one of those things that if I'm lucky enough for it to come around sooner rather than later, I'll be very happy."
For now, though, the focus is on Forest’s historic return to Europe, a moment that promises to ignite the City Ground and offer a new challenge for a team on the rise, who continue to punch above their weight.
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