Nottingham Forest will likely come into this game with a sense of belief and confidence.
They have had nearly three weeks’ rest since they last played, when they won 3-0 away at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. That was a result that boosted their chances of surviving in the top flight, and days before that game, they overcame FC Midtjylland on penalties to progress in the UEFA Europa League.
There are still many more important games on the horizon, and avoiding relegation will likely remain their priority, but they have a chance to achieve something memorable in Europe.
How do Forest approach the game?
This first leg of the quarter final is away from home, so that provides the challenge of travel.
There will be a desire to remain in the tie ahead of the second leg at the City Ground next week.
Forest do not have to put all of their efforts into winning the game this week because they have the second leg to come.
In their last tie, they lost the first leg 1-0 at home to their Danish opponents, but then pulled it back away from home in the second leg.
Forest are gaining experience in two-legged ties as the competition progresses. Vitor Pereira will likely remind his side not to panic and to keep cool heads.
However, in their playoff knockout tie against Fenerbahce, they did go away to Istanbul and win the first leg 3-0. This put them in a strong position to qualify. Therefore, if they can get the job done in Portugal, then they may try to do just that.
A couple of weeks ago, the UEFA Europa League may have seemed like an unwelcome distraction for Forest because it was adding to their fixture schedule and taking away from training time ahead of crucial league games.
That said, they now find themselves in the quarter finals. There may be a growing number of people connected with the club who are taking the competition more seriously.
Forest worked hard to get themselves into the competition and, given their struggles this season in the Premier League,there is no guarantee that they will return to European action anytime soon.
Therefore, the journey should be enjoyed.
It is knockout football, and at this stage of the competition, anything can happen.
Forest should be growing in confidence as they have demonstrated their value and have knocked out some established European sides.
There is the argument that winning games can only help by bringing positive momentum. Given that they beat Spurs after going to extra time and penalties in their last European match, they should feel optimistic that it can help their league campaign and not hinder it.
In the last round, they had already played FC Midtjylland in the league phase, and the same can be said of FC Porto.
Forest did not travel to Portugal in the league phase, but they did play Porto at home. It was then-manager Sean Dyche‘s first game in charge and ended in a 2-0 win for the Reds.
A lot has changed since that date, but it is a result that could also give Forest confidence going into this meeting.
They should arrive on the continent with little to fear and all to play for.
It could be said that one of the biggest frustrations for Pereira now would be if his side were to exit the competition without putting up a fight and showing their potential.
Igor Jesus is the club’s top scorer in Europe, and whilst Chris Wood is nearly back to full fitness and there is a hope that the New Zealander can score the goals required to keep the club in the Premier League, the Brazilian striker could still inspire them to success in Europe.