NOTTINGHAM FOREST boss Nuno Espirito Santo says his side’s faltering form in the quest for Champions League qualification is a reminder of the “reality” of the Premier League.

Forest have had an amazing season so far and sit in third but their form has hit the buffers in recent weeks with three defeats from the last four.

They conceded four goals in 11 minutes against Newcastle on Sunday and it does not get much easier as Arsenal visit the City Ground on Wednesday.

Asked if this was a blip in their bid to finish in the top four, Nuno said: “This is the reality of the game, you have to realise it is part of our journey, ups and downs, not always possible to perform well.

“Sometimes your opponent is better than you in periods. You have to realise and move forwards. It’s about reacting now.

“There is so much football to be played, so many things to happen. There is still a long way to go.

“This is reality. We have to recognise the Premier League is very tough, all the opponents are very hard, it is not always possible to perform better than your opponent.

“We chase the next game, this is what is on our minds, from minute one to get any points, no matter where you are in the Premier League.

“Our ambition is to perform and try and be better than we were in the previous games. And give us a platform to help us achieve until the end of the season. This is what we want to get from the game.

“We want to finish the game and say we had a good game against Arsenal and we were stronger than them. That would be a positive for us.”

Forest look set to be at full strength for the visit of Mikel Arteta’s men.

“We have players to assess, a couple of knocks to assess, we have to train again so let’s wait and see,” Nuno added.