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Nottingham Forest vs Porto kick-off, date & TV info
Date Thursday, April 16
Kick-off 8pm
Venue City Ground, Nottingham
Competition Europa League
TV TNT Sports 1 & HBO Max
Nottingham Forest claimed a battling 1-1 draw in last week’s away leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie against Porto and the second leg takes place on Thursday.
Vitor Pereira’s Forest are favourites to progress at the City Ground despite the fact that they are only three points above the Premier League relegation zone.
Nottingham Forest vs Porto betting tips & predictions
Best bet
Porto to qualify
2pts 5-4 BoyleSports, Betfair, Paddy Power
Best player bet
Neco Williams to have two or more shots
2-1 bet365, BoyleSports
Longshot
Alberto Costa to have one or more assists
7-1 bet365
Nottingham Forest vs Porto preview
Nottingham Forest’s fate this season is likely to be decided by fine margins and last week’s 1-1 draws with Porto and Aston Villa increased the tension for Forest fans.
A home draw with Villa was not a bad result in isolation but wins for Premier League survival rivals West Ham and Leeds mean Forest remain in a precarious position.
They rode their luck in the Europa League quarter-final first leg in Portugal, where the impressive hosts forced Stefan Ortega into seven saves.
Forest boss Vitor Pereira made nine changes to his line-up, bringing in fringe players such as James McAtee, Dilane Bakwa and Zach Abbott and welcoming back striker Chris Wood after six months on the sidelines.
That selection gamble was not looking particularly shrewd when William Gomes gave Porto a deserved lead in the 11th minute.
But Pereira, who led Porto to the Primeira Liga title in 2012 and 2013, received an amazingly generous homecoming gift in the form of Martim Fernandes’s long-range own goal two minutes later.
After avoiding defeat in the away leg, Forest are firm favourites to progress to the semi-finals.
However, they have struggled to make home advantage count this season, losing to Fenerbahce and Midtjylland at the City Ground in the last two rounds of the Europa League.
Forest have scored only seven goals in their last ten home fixtures and four of those came against Ferencvaros on matchday eight of the league phase.
Porto’s only defeat in Europe this season was October’s 2-0 loss at Forest in Sean Dyche’s first game in charge.
That consistency, coupled with their excellent first-leg display, makes them a good bet to eliminate their hosts, who will have one eye on Sunday’s vital league fixture at home to Burnley.
In-form Williams poses underrated attacking threat
Neco Williams has been a bright spark during a tough season for Forest and the flying full-back looks sure to chance his arm against Porto.
He scored with one of his four attempts at goal against Villa last weekend and had ten shots in his previous three league starts at the City Ground.
Classy Costa can create chances for Porto forwards
Porto’s Fernandes sprained his ankle shortly after his spectacular own goal in the first leg so Alberto Costa is expected to start at right-back.
Costa’s creativity should boost Porto’s attacking threat. He claimed his seventh assist in 20 league starts against Estoril on Sunday and set up two goals in four starts for Juventus at last summer’s Club World Cup.
Nottingham Forest vs Porto Bet Builder
Porto or draw double chance
The Portuguese giants dominated the first-leg draw and Nottingham Forest have won only one of their last 11 matches at the City Ground.
Over 2.5 cards
Only one player was booked in last week’s game in Portugal but Forest’s last five Premier League matches all had over 2.5 cards.
Borja Sainz to score or assist a goal
Porto’s ex-Norwich winger has contributed seven goals and five assists in 25 starts in all competitions and had two shots on target in the first leg.
Pays out at 3-1 with bet365
Key stats for Nottingham Forest vs Porto
♦ None of Nottingham Forest’s last 12 matches have produced more than three goals
♦ Both teams have scored in six of Forest’s last nine games
♦ The Tricky Trees have won only one of their last 11 home fixtures
♦ Porto have lost just one of their 11 Europa League matches this season
♦ Six of Porto’s last eight games featured goals at both ends
Nottingham Forest vs Porto betting odds
Sign up with Sky Bet to bet on Nottingham Forest vs Porto in the Europa League. Here are the latest odds for Thursday’s match.
| 90 minutes | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest | 5-4 |
| Porto | 11-5 |
| Draw | 2-1 |
Odds correct at time of publishing
Want more top football betting advice? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Sport’s tips for more of the latest picks from our experts.
Nottingham Forest vs Porto team news and predicted line-ups
Nottingham Forest
Elliot Anderson served a one-match ban in the first leg but is a major doubt after missing training on Wednesday. Jair Cunha, Nicolo Savona, Willy Boly and John Victor are injured and Luca Netz is not in the Europa League squad.
Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Sangare, Yates; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Subs: Lucca, Ndoye, Dominguez, Anderson, Bakwa, McAtee, Wood
Porto
The visitors are missing the injured Luuk de Jong, Samu Aghehowa and Nehuen Perez while Martim Fernandes is a doubt and Oskar Pietuszewski is ineligible.
Predicted line-up (4-3-3): D Costa; A Costa, Silva, Bednarek, Sanusi; Fofana, Rosario, Veiga; Gomes, Moffi, Sainz
Subs: Kiwior, Prpic, Moura, Froholdt, Varela, Pepe, Gul
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FAQs
When is Nottingham Forest vs Porto in the Europa League?
Nottingham Forest vs Porto takes place on Thursday, April 16 and kicks off at 8pm BST.
Where is Nottingham Forest vs Porto being played?
The venue for the game is the City Ground in Nottingham.
Where can I watch Nottingham Forest vs Porto?
TNT Sports 1 & HBO Max are showing the game live in the UK.
What is the match betting for Nottingham Forest vs Porto?
Nottingham Forest are 5-4 to win, Porto are a 11-5 chance and the draw is 2-1.
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