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

Porto welcome Nottingham Forest to the Estadio Do Dragao on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.

The hosts defeated Stuttgart to progress to this round, while the visitors bested Midtjylland in their round of 16 tie.

Match preview

Porto are enjoying an impressive 2025-26 season, with the Dragons still in the running for three different trophies.

Francesco Farioli's side are top of Liga Portugal with a five-point lead over second place, albeit Sporting do have a game in hand, while they are also into the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the Taca de Portugal.

Porto's last defeat actually came in the first leg of their Taca de Portugal semi-final tie against Sporting, losing 1-0, but they have bounced back with four wins and two draws in their subsequent six matches.

Porto will be hopeful of maintaining that momentum when they take on Nottingham Forest in the Europa League, and they will be particularly confident at their home ground.

The Dragons have lost just once at home in 2025-26, a 3-1 defeat to Vitoria in December 2025, while they have won all of their five Europa League fixtures at the Estadio Do Dragao.

Porto have actually lost just once in the entirety of their Europa League campaign, with seven wins and two draws, although that defeat did come against their upcoming quarter-final opponents.

Nottingham Forest secured a 2-0 triumph against Porto on matchday three of the league phase back in October, which actually marked just the Tricky Trees' second win of the season across all competitions.

Forest's best moments this term, such as that matchday three win, have come in the Europa League, while they have faced huge difficulties in the Premier League.

While Forest have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, thanks to narrow victories against Fenerbahce (4-2) and Midtjylland (3-0 on penalties after a 2-2 draw) in the knockout rounds, the Tricky Trees are battling against relegation from the English top-flight.

Nottingham Forest, who have been managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and now Vitor Pereira this term alone, are 16th in the table and just three points above the drop zone.

However, a vital 3-0 win against relegation rivals Tottenham Hotspur before the international break would have provided Nottingham Forest with huge confidence, and Pereira will be eager for his team to continue building momentum with a triumph on Thursday.

Forest have actually impressed on the road in recent weeks, losing just one of their last five matches on the road, while they have lost only once away from home in the Europa League this term.

Porto Europa League form:

W W D W W W

Porto form (all competitions):

D W W W W D

Nottingham Forest Europa League form:

L W W L L D

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

L D L D D W

Team News

Porto are set to be without Samu Aghehowa and Luuk de Jong for this match due to injury problems, while Rodrigo Mora and Nahuen Perez are both doubts to feature.

In the absence of their two strikers, Terem Moffi should lead the line, while William Gomes and Borja Sainz should feature from wide positions.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are contending with several availability issues, including Omari Hutchinson, Jair Cunha, Willy Bolly, Nicolo Savona, John Victor, Chris Wood and Ola Aina.

Nottingham Forest are also without the availability of star midfielder Elliot Anderson due to suspension, meaning Nicolas Dominguez and Ibrahim Sangare should start in midfield.

Porto possible starting lineup:

D Costa; A Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Sanusi; Froholdt, Varela, Fofana; Gomes, Moffi, Sainz

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Netz; Sangare, Dominguez; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

We say: Porto 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest may have defeated Porto in their matchup earlier this season, but Thursday's hosts have gone on to enjoy a significantly stronger season and are in a much better place coming into this clash.

Furthermore, with the advantage of playing at their home ground this time around, Porto will be expected to claim the victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.