Ryan Yates says Nottingham Forest want to win UEFA Europa League title for Evangelos Marinakis - 'Not every owner's like that'

Relegation from the Premier League remains a serious concern for Nottingham Forest, but a run deep into the UEFA Europa League could prove to be an exciting distraction from their domestic woes. Captain Ryan Yates has highlighted the team's desire to win a European trophy and match the ambitions of owner Evangelos Marinakis. Forest face Midtjylland in the last 16 of the competition.

Ryan Yates believes Nottingham Forest fans and owner Evangelos Marinakis "deserve" a successful UEFA Europa League campaign.

The Premier League side face Danish outfit Midtjylland in the last 16, with the first leg live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Thursday night.

And club captain Yates said the "passion" of Marinakis drives the players on as they continue to fight on two fronts, battling relegation in the top flight and aiming for silverware in Europe.

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"It's exciting - not every owner's like that," Yates told TNT Sports. "His passion for the club, how much he wants us to succeed and also the actions he does for the club - he wears his heart on his sleeve and that definitely falls down to us players as well."

Despite their Premier League struggles this season, Forest remain in contention to win the Europa League after a 4-2 aggregate win over Fenerbahce in the knockout phase play-offs.

"It's incredible," Yates said. "I feel like each game in Europe keeps getting bigger and bigger. We certainly didn't work so hard to get into this position to just take part - we want to do as best we can, really progress and be ambitious.

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"That's what the owner and club deserve, and this is what the supporters are expecting: that we can come and play with quality and show how good we are."

After playing Midtjylland at the City Ground, Forest will host Fulham in the Premier League three days later.

Highlights: Forest dominate Fenerbahce to give Pereira dream start

Video credit: TNT Sports

They remain embroiled in a relegation fight with West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, but Yates insisted their Europa League run will not become a sideshow.

"I honestly don't think you can prioritise one or the other," he added. "We have a squad now where we can field a really high-quality side in either.

"The games on Thursday nights in the Europa League have a slightly different feel to them, sort of like you're going on a bit of a cup run. We have to face them with that excitement.

"Momentum at this point of the season is so important and if you can take that and just keep rolling with it, it can take you a long way."

Pereira: Prioritising Premier League is 'impossible'

Forest head coach Vitor Pereira echoed Yates, suggesting it would not be realistic to focus purely on the relegation battle at the expense of the Europa League.

"It's difficult to say to my players, 'Forget this competition because we are in a tough fight in the Premier League,'" he told TNT Sports.

‘It’s impossible’ – Pereira on balancing European hopes and Premier League survival

Video credit: TNT Sports

"I think it's impossible because they have the ambition to move forward, they have the ambition to compete and win the game.

"If you win games, you increase the confidence and increase the belief. If you win tomorrow, it's the best recovery for the next game against Fulham."

How to watch Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland

Nottingham Forest v FC Midtjylland will be live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.

TNT Sports is available across all major TV platforms, offering a line-up of up to four TV channels (TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports 2, TNT Sports 3, TNT Sports 4), and up to six digital or red-button channels (TNT Sports 5 to 10), and TNT Sports Ultimate plus TNT Sports Box Office HD.

You can subscribe to TNT Sports through discovery+, BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.

To find out where your local establishments showing TNT Sports are, use our Pub Finder.

For the latest information on which football matches are on TNT Sports, click here.

Here is the TNT Sports schedule and TV guide. And for the full Premier League schedule, click here.

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