The Matchday 3 clash in the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League group stage between Nottingham Forest (England) and Porto (Portugal) will take place on October 23 at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest vs. Porto: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham's return to European competitions has been disappointing so far. The team has earned just 1 point after two group stage matches and currently sits in 25th place in the standings. They started with a 2-2 away draw against Real Betis, but surprisingly lost 2-3 at home to Midtjylland in their last match. Notably, Nottingham's games have been the highest-scoring in the main stage of the Europa League, with 9 goals scored.
Over the weekend, the club dismissed Ange Postecoglou, who had been in charge for just 39 days. Sean Dyche has been appointed as the new head coach.
- Nottingham Forest has failed to win any of their last 10 official matches, recording 3 draws and 7 losses.
- The team has conceded at least two goals in 7 of their last 9 official matches.
- Nottingham has lost their last 4 home games in the Premier League and Europa League.
Predicted lineup for Nottingham Forest (3-4-3)
Matz Sels – Murillo, Morato, Nikola Milenkovic – Neco Williams, Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye, Ibrahim Sangare – Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.
Porto
Porto, on the other hand, has been flawless so far. In their opening group stage match of this European competition, the team defeated Salzburg 1-0 away and then overcame Red Star 2-1 at home. With 3 points, Porto is currently in 7th place, trailing the other six opponents due to a worse goal difference.
- In their last 15 Europa League matches, Porto has secured only 5 wins (5 draws and 5 losses).
- The team has not won in 14 of their last 17 away matches in this European competition (5 draws and 9 losses).
- Both teams have scored in 8 of Porto's last 10 away games in this tournament.
Predicted lineup for Porto (4-3-3)
Diogo Costa – Martim Fernandes, Jan Bednarek, Zaidu Sanusi, Dominik Prpic – Pablo Rosario, Rodrigo Mora, Stephen Eustaquio – William Gomes, Deniz Gül, Angel Alcaron.
Referee
Radu Petrescu (Romania)
Matches – 14 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 63;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 21%.
Match Prediction: Nottingham Forest vs. Porto
The club owner Evangelos Marinakis is destabilizing the team with his erratic decisions. In early September, he inexplicably dismissed Nuno Espirito Santo and unexpectedly appointed Ange Postecoglou as head coach. The former Tottenham manager didn't last long. As a result, Marinakis wanted to personally prepare Nottingham for the upcoming match but managed to sign Sean Dyche at the last minute. Therefore, significant changes from the hosts should not be expected.
I believe Nottingham's long winless streak at the official level will continue. However, I won't risk betting on an away win, as Porto often disappoints on the road. Nevertheless, their start to the new season inspires optimism: Porto not only won two matches in the Europa League but also confidently leads in the Primeira Liga, with 7 wins and 1 draw after 8 rounds.
My prediction: Porto with a handicap (0)
The starting lineup for each team is based on their last match in this tournament.
