The City Ground prepares for a crucial European night as Nottingham Forest host FC Midtjylland in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-16 tie on Thursday.

Forest will be keen to gain revenge after suffering a 3-2 home defeat to the Danish side during the League Phase in October, a match that took place under former manager Ange Postecoglou.

With both teams eyeing a place in the Europa League quarter-finals, Thursday’s clash promises to be a tense and tactical battle.

Match Preview

Forest chasing European progress

Nottingham Forest are enjoying their first European campaign in more than 30 years, but their path to the last 16 has not been straightforward.

The Tricky Trees finished 13th in the League Phase standings, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification and instead entering the knockout round playoffs.

Forest were drawn against Turkish giants Fenerbahce, but under new head coach Vitor Pereira, they produced an impressive performance to progress 4-2 on aggregate.

A stunning 3-0 away win in the first leg effectively settled the tie, even though Forest lost 2-1 at the City Ground in the return fixture.

However, their domestic form since then has been inconsistent.

Forest are currently on a four-match winless run in all competitions, including a 2-1 defeat away to Brighton and a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League.

Those results have left Forest hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference, meaning their primary focus remains securing Premier League survival.

Still, the Europa League represents a major opportunity.

Reaching the quarter-finals would mark Forest’s best European run since the 1995–96 UEFA Cup, while the club’s historic European triumphs under Brian Clough in 1979 and 1980 remain a source of inspiration.

One concern for Pereira will be Forest’s recent home form, with just one win in their last eight matches at the City Ground.

Midtjylland the surprise package

FC Midtjylland have been one of the standout teams of this season’s Europa League.

The Danish side finished third in the 36-team League Phase table, collecting 19 points from eight matches and securing automatic qualification to the round of 16.

During that campaign, Midtjylland recorded impressive wins over:

• Nottingham Forest
• Celtic
• Genk
• Dinamo Zagreb
• Maccabi Tel Aviv
• Sturm Graz

Their only defeat came away against Roma (2-1).

Since the end of the League Phase, Midtjylland have also maintained solid domestic form.

Mike Tullberg’s side are currently five games unbeaten, collecting seven points from three Danish Superliga matches to remain four points off the league leaders.

They also booked their place in the Danish Cup final after beating Aarhus GF 2-1 on aggregate, drawing 1-1 in the second leg last weekend.

Midtjylland have already proven they can compete with English teams.

In European competition, they have faced English opposition five times, winning twice — including their victory over Forest earlier this season and a memorable 2-1 win against Manchester United in 2016.

Team News

Nottingham Forest Team News

Forest will be without several players due to injury.

Chris Wood, Nicolo Savona, John Victor and Willy Boly are all sidelined with knee problems.

January signing Luca Netz is ineligible for the Europa League squad, meaning he cannot feature in Thursday’s match.

Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is a doubt after missing the draw with Manchester City due to a calf issue. If he fails to recover, Matz Sels will start in goal.

Manager Vitor Pereira could recall Callum Hudson-Odoi and Omari Hutchinson if he opts to use natural wingers.

Meanwhile, striker Igor Jesus will likely lead the attack after scoring seven goals in eight Europa League matches, making him the joint-top scorer in the competition.

Nottingham Forest Possible Starting Lineup

Ortega
Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams
Sangare, Anderson
Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi
Jesus

Midtjylland Team News

Midtjylland will be without top scorer Franculino, who has netted 21 goals this season, due to injury.

Midfielder Mikel Gogorza is also unavailable.

In addition, winger Dario Osorio is suspended after accumulating too many yellow cards.

The absence of Franculino could see Junior Brumado or Gue-sung Cho lead the line.

Former Fulham defender Kevin Mbabu and ex-Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing are expected to retain their places in the starting lineup.

FC Midtjylland Possible Starting Lineup

Olafsson
Erlic, Bech Sorensen, Diao
Mbabu, Billing, Castillo, Bak
Simsir
Cho, Brumado

Form Guide

Nottingham Forest Europa League Form

W D W W L W

Nottingham Forest Form (All Competitions)

L L D D

FC Midtjylland Europa League Form

W W W W W L

FC Midtjylland Form (All Competitions)

W D W W D

Prediction

Midtjylland’s strong Europa League form and previous victory over Forest suggest this tie could be extremely competitive.

However, Nottingham Forest may take advantage of home support at the City Ground, particularly with the Danish side missing their top scorer.

Expect a tight first leg.

Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2–1 FC Midtjylland

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