Preview: Nottingham Forest vs Ferencvaros - prediction, team news, lineups

Nottingham Forest welcome Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros to the City Ground for their final League Phase fixture in the Europa League on Thursday night.

While the Tricky Trees are aiming to sneak into the automatic last-16 qualification spots, the Green Eagles are hoping to hold onto their position in the top eight.

Match preview

Competing in European competition for the first time in 30 years, Nottingham Forest are guaranteed a knockout round playoff place in this season’s Europa League, but their hopes of securing a top-eight finish are slim following last week’s disappointing 1-0 defeat away a against Braga.

Sean Dyche’s side became just the second team in Europa League history to lose a match without facing a single shot on target, miss a penalty, score an own goal and receive a red card all in the same match, with defeat against Braga seeing them slip to 14th in the 36-team standings.

Forest sit three points behind Real Betis in eighth spot and know that they need to beat Ferencvaros, as well as hope that other results go their way, if they are to stand a chance of securing automatic last-16 qualification. Losing or playing out a draw would force them to enter the playoffs.

The Tricky Trees will be determined to show the "killer instinct" that Dyche felt was missing in Portugal, but was on display in Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League win at Brentford. That positive result extended their unbeaten top-flight run to three games (W2 D1) and moved them five points above the relegation zone.

In the Europa League, Forest have won three, drawn three and lost two of their seven League Phase matches, winning their last two home games against Porto and Malmo by an aggregate score of 5-0.

Ferencvaros are one of only three teams out of 36 in this season’s Europa League - along with Freiburg and Viktoria Plzen - who are yet to lose in seven League Phase matches (W4 D3) and they enter Thursday’s contest with their destiny in their own hands.

The Green Eagles currently sit seventh in the standings, one point ahead of both Real Betis and Porto in the two places below them, and they know that victory against Nottingham Forest - who are four points further back - will secure their spot in the last 16 for the first time since 2022-23.

Ferencvaros have already beaten Rangers, Ludogorets, Red Bull Salzburg and Genk in the Europa League this season and Robbie Keane’s side almost prevailed against Rafael Benitez’s Panathinaikos last week, but they conceded an 86th-minute equaliser to draw 1-1 on home soil.

The reigning Hungarian champions were then beaten 3-1 at home by current top-flight leaders ETO Gyor on Sunday, slipping four points behind the summit, and they are now seeking to avoid going three consecutive games without a win in all competitions for the first time since February last year.

Success is not a given against Nottingham Forest, though, as Ferencvaros have only won six of their previous 20 encounters with English opposition (D6 L8), most recently beating Millwall 3-1 in the second leg of a UEFA Cup first-round tie back in 2004.

Nottingham Forest Europa League form:

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

Ferencvaros Europa League form:

Ferencvaros form (all competitions):

Team News

Nottingham Forest duo Chris Wood and John Victor remain sidelined with knee injuries, while Omari Hutchinson, Taiwo Awoniyi and Jair Cunha are all ineligible as they were not selected in the club’s Europa League squad.

Star midfielder Elliot Anderson is suspended after he was sent off for two bookable offences in the defeat to Braga last week, while Douglas Luiz has reportedly agreed to re-join Aston Villa.

In the absence of Anderson and Luiz, Ryan Yates could be recalled to link up with Ibrahim Sangare in centre-midfield, while Morgan Gibbs-White operates in the number 10 role behind striker Igor Jesus, who scored in the win at Brentford last time out.

As for Ferencvaros, Stefan Gartenmann remains out through injury, while fellow defender Tom Raemaekers is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Krisztian Lisztes has recovered from injury to watch on as an unused substitute in the last two matches, but the midfielder is not expected to earn a recall to the first XI on Thursday ahead of Jonathan Levi, Julio Romao and Gavriel Kanichowsky on Thursday.

Barnabas Varga scored 20 goals in all competitions, including four goals in six Europa League games before joining AEK Athens earlier this month. Following his departure, Bamidele Yusuf, Kristoffer Zachariassen, Zsombor Gruber and Leny Joseph will all battle for two spots up front.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Yates, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

Ferencvaros possible starting lineup:

Grof; Lakatos, Cisse, Szalai; Makreckis, Levi, Romao, Kanichowsky, Cadu; Zachariassen, Bamidele

We say: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ferencvaros

Both teams have scored in six of Ferencvaros’ seven Europa League matches this season and another end-to-end contest could be in store on Thursday, with both sides aware of how important it is to claim maximum points.

Nottingham Forest will be considered the favourites on home soil, but Ferencvaros have made themselves difficult to beat in Europe and they may do just enough to claim a share of the spoils on this occasion, which could be enough to seal a top-eight finish.

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