Europa League
2026-04-16 - Nottingham Forest vs Porto
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: UEFA Europa League Quarter Final Second Leg
Thursday 16th April 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Nottingham Forest
Getting the better of one of his former clubs in the Europa League Quarter Final is key to maintaining the momentum that Vitor Pereira has helped his Nottingham Forest team build up either side of the March international break. The 1-1 draw with Aston Villa has just pushed them a little clearer of the bottom three in the English Premier League and Nottingham Forest have a couple more big games to be played at the City Ground over the course of a few days.
It has been made clear to Vitor Pereira that Nottingham Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis expects the squad to not only avoid relegation from the English top flight, but to make a serious effort at winning the Europa League. The opportunity to get into the financially rewarding Champions League has not been lost on the Nottingham Forest board, but this tie is far from over after the 1-1 draw in Porto considering The Tricky Trees have lost both Knock Out ties played in front of the home supporters.
Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in 5 games in all competitions since the 0-1 loss to Midtjylland in the Europa League Last 16 First Leg, but 3 of those matches have now ended in draws. The side have not won any of the last 7 games at the City Ground in all competitions and Nottingham Forest have suffered 3 defeats in that run.
Wholesale changes have been made for the fixtures against Porto and Aston Villa and more are expected for this Second Leg. A stronger team than the one that started in the First Leg is anticipated, but Nottingham Forest also have a big game against Burnley to come this weekend.
Porto
They have not won the Portuguese title in each of the last three seasons and Porto have not reached the Quarter Final of any European competition since 2021, but they are on course to end the wait for the former. Fifteen years ago, Porto won the Europa League, but they have not reached the Semi Final of any UEFA competition since then and have work to do if they are going to change that.
A 5 point lead domestically over two time defending Champions Sporting Lisbon has Porto in the driving seat, although Sporting do have a game in hand which suggests that title race will go down to the wire. The 1-1 home draw after a wasteful attacking draw means Porto are in a tougher spot in the Europa League, especially as they have won 2 of the 5 away games played in this competition.
Porto are unbeaten in 8 games in all competitions ahead of the Europa League Quarter Final Second Leg, while they have won 5 of those fixtures, including a 1-3 win at Estoril this past weekend. That victory makes it 3 in a row on their travels in all competitions since the 1-0 defeat at Sporting Lisbon and 2-2 draw at Benfica.
Changes were made for the League win over Estoril and more could be considered for this Second Leg with Porto balancing domestic and European commitments.
Head to Head
These two clubs had never met in a competitive fixture before the 2025/26 season, but this is the third meeting in this campaign.
The 1-1 draw in Porto last week is obviously the most recent, but Nottingham Forest have already beaten this opponent 2-0 at home in the League Phase of this competition.
Prediction
Back in October, Sean Dyche picked a strong Nottingham Forest team that created the better chances in what turned into an eventual 2-0 win over Porto.
They meet again at the City Ground in April with a place in the Europa League Semi Final on the line and Nottingham Forest are perhaps fortunate to still be level in the tie.
Supporters who feel they can begin thinking about a potential Semi Final with a Premier League rival will do well to remind themselves that Nottingham Forest have lost half of the 6 home Europa League games played this season. That includes both in the Knock Out Rounds under Vitor Pereira and the manager will be under some pressure to make the right choices with his team selection.
Another point has pushed Nottingham Forest 3 points clear of the relegation zone domestically, but they have a huge game coming up on Sunday against Burnley and Pereira will have one eye on that.
However, he has stated to the media the demands of the Nottingham Forest owner and so it would be a surprise if a much more familiar lineup is not selected for this fixture compared to the one that started in Portugal.
You have to expect a strong Porto to arrive, even as they continue fighting off the title challenge of Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. Winning the title for the first time since 2022 is hugely important for Porto, while some will feel the best chance of winning this tie was at home in the First Leg.
Porto have not travelled as well as they have played at home, but did win at Stuttgart in the Last 16 and that will give the players a huge amount of confidence.
They were have only been beaten once away from home in this competition, but that was right here at the City Ground, which will not be lost on anyone.
Poor finishing cost Porto last week and they were the better team, but that was against a Nottingham Forest team that is not likely to be filled with as many of the squad players as it was in the First Leg. Home form has been problematic for Nottingham Forest since the end of January, but they have played pretty well here at times and have perhaps not had the rub of the green.
A finely balanced tie makes the first goal very important, but the feeling is that Vitor Pereira will pick a stronger eleven than in the First Leg and that should give Nottingham Forest the advantage.
Nothing will come easy for the home team who have not won any of the last 7 at the City Ground, but Nottingham Forest may have enough to edge past Porto for a second time here this season.
The Pick :
Nottingham Forest 2-1 Porto
