Braga vs. Nottingham Forest: Sean Dyche bidding to eclipse rare Gary Neville feat in Europa League game

Sean Dyche has the chance to make European history when Nottingham Forest square off against Braga in the Europa League.

The Premier League outfit head into Thursday's fixture in Portugal sitting in 11th place in the League Phase table with two matches remaining.

As well as sitting two points adrift of the top eight, Forest still require a victory across their next two games to guarantee the minimum of a playoff spot.

With just 17 points coming from 14 matches in the Premier League, Dyche remains under pressure to deliver an upturn in fortunes in England's top flight.

Nevertheless, the former Burnley and Everton boss has the opportunity to make history when his team take to the pitch versus the Primeira Liga club.

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Dyche on brink of European history

Since his arrival in October, Dyche has delivered 10 points from a possible 12 in Forest's four Europa League fixtures.

Victories have been recorded over Porto, Malmo and FC Utrecht, while a goalless draw was registered at Sturm Graz.

As it stands, the only other Englishman to win three of his first four games in the Europa League is Gary Neville during the 2015-16 campaign.

Therefore, Dyche will become the first Englishman to win four of his opening five games in the Europa League if Forest beat Braga.

Forest's hosts sit in seventh place in the Europa League table, two points above them, having won four of their six games this far.

Furthermore, Braga have kept an incredible nine clean sheets in their last 13 European fixtures, including qualifiers.

© Imago / ZUMA Press Wire

How are Braga faring in Primeira Liga?

Already sitting 22 points adrift of leaders Porto in the Primeira Liga table, it is fair to say that they are not enjoying the best of domestic campaigns.

Braga are also 12 points behind third-placed Benfica, emphasising that they are essentially competing for European qualification for 2026-27.

Carlos Vicens' side have won just one of their last four top-flight games, a 1-0 win away at second-from-bottom Tondela.