Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources or find out more here
Porto vs Nottingham Forest kick-off, date & TV info
Date Thursday, April 9
Kick-off 8pm
Venue Estadio do Dragao, Porto, Portugal
Competition Europa League
TV TNT Sports 1
Nottingham Forest edged past Midtjylland on penalties in the Europa League round of 16 and they head to Porto for Thursday’s quarter-final first leg.
Premier League survival is the priority for Vitor Pereira’s Forest while hosts Porto are five points clear in the Primeira Liga title race.
Porto vs Nottingham Forest betting tips & predictionsBest bet
Porto
2pts 11-10 Hills
Best player bet
Nicolas Dominguez to have over 1.5 shots
12-5 bet365
Longshot
William Gomes to be first goalscorer
17-2 bet365
Porto vs Nottingham Forest preview
Nottingham Forest beat Porto 2-0 in October’s Europa League fixture at the City Ground – one of only four defeats suffered by the Portuguese giants this season.
Penalties from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus earned Forest a victory over Porto in Sean Dyche’s first game in charge and they also showcased their spot-kick prowess against Midtjylland in the round of 16.
After a 2-2 aggregate draw, Forest won the shootout 3-0 and followed up with a vital Premier League victory by the same scoreline at survival rivals Tottenham.
They have another crucial league game against fellow Europa League quarter-finalists Aston Villa on Sunday so should be opposed on their trip to Porto.
Forest boss Vitor Pereira managed Porto from 2011 to 2013, winning the Primeira Liga title in both of his seasons at the club.
They are top of the table again this term, five points clear of Sporting, who were unfortunate to lose 1-0 to Arsenal in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Porto’s top scorer Samu Aghehowa is injured and they were held to a 2-2 league draw at home to Famalicao on Saturday.
However, coach Francesco Farioli rested several first-team regulars for that game and Porto should be too slick for a Forest side missing influential midfielder Elliot Anderson, who is suspended.
The Tricky Trees, now on their fourth manager of a tumultuous season, lost the home legs of their knockout ties against Fenerbahce and Midtjylland.
Their last trip to Portugal ended in a luckless 1-0 defeat to Braga, who are 24 points behind Porto in the domestic standings, and avoiding Premier League relegation is clearly the priority for Forest.
Porto have won all five of their Europa League home games this term, easing past Stuttgart 4-1 on aggregate in the last 16, and they can give Pereira an unhappy homecoming on Thursday.
Forest’s Dominguez should get shooting opportunities
With Anderson unavailable, Nicolas Dominguez and Ibrahim Sangare should anchor Forest’s midfield and Dominguez’s attacking threat may be underrated.
He has had 15 attempts in seven Europa League starts, scoring the opener against Midtjylland last time out, and fired eight shots in his last four Premier League starts on the road.
Back exciting prospect Gomes to land first blow
Porto youngster William Gomes has scored in three of his last four appearances, breaking the deadlock in the last-16 second-leg win over Stuttgart.
He has notched eight times in just 999 minutes of Primeira Liga action and all three of his Europa League strikes this term were the opening goals of the game.
Porto vs Nottingham Forest Bet BuilderUnder 3.5 goals
Porto have conceded only 13 goals in 28 Primeira Liga games this term and nine of Nottingham Forest’s last ten Europa League matches had under 3.5 goals.
Morgan Gibbs-White to have one or more shots
The Forest star averages 2.1 shots per 90 minutes in this season’s Europa League and has scored in six of his last 12 Premier League outings.
Alan Varela to be shown a card
The combative Porto midfielder has picked up four yellow cards in his last five league appearances and was booked in the last-16 first leg against Stuttgart.
Pays out at 100-30 with bet365
Key stats for Porto vs Nottingham Forest
♦ Porto have won 18 of their 22 home matches this season
♦ Both teams have scored in four of Porto’s last five Europa League games
♦ Porto have opened the scoring in nine of their last 11 fixtures
♦ Forest have won only three of their last 12 outings in all competitions
♦ Only one of Forest’s last ten Europa League matches featured over 3.5 goals
Porto vs Nottingham Forest betting odds
Sign up with Sky Bet to bet on Porto vs Nottingham Forest in the Europa League. Here are the latest odds for Thursday’s match.
MarketOddsPortoEvsNottingham Forest5-2Draw11-5
Odds correct at time of publishing
Want more top football betting advice? Make sure you take a look at Racing Post Sport’s tips for more of the latest picks from our experts.
Porto vs Nottingham Forest team news and predicted line-upsPorto
Strikers Samu Aghehowa and Luuk de Jong are injured so Terem Moffi should start up front. Nehuen Perez and Rodrigo Mora are major doubts.
Predicted line-up (4-3-3): D Costa; A Costa, Bednarek, Kiwior, Sanusi; Froholdt, Varela, Fofana; Gomes, Moffi, Sainz
Subs: Silva, Rosario, Fernandes, Pepe, Gul, Moura, Prpic
Nottingham Forest
England midfielder Elliot Anderson is suspended and left-back Luca Netz is ineligible. Chris Wood, Omari Hutchinson and Ola Aina are fitness doubts but Jair Cunha, Willy Boly, Nicolo Savona and John Victor are sidelined.
Predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato; Sangare, Dominguez; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Subs: Abbott, Yates, Hutchinson, Wood, Lucca, Bakwa, Aina
Read more:
Football accumulator tips for Thursday April 9: Back our both teams to score acca at 9-1 with bet365
Crystal Palace vs Fiorentina predictions, team news, betting tips, odds and Bet Builder
Bologna vs Aston Villa predictions, team news, betting tips, odds and Bet Builder
FAQsWhen is Porto vs Nottingham Forest in the Europa League?
Porto vs Nottingham Forest takes place on Thursday, April 9 and kicks off at 8pm BST.
Where is Porto vs Nottingham Forest being played?
The venue for the game is the Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal.
Where can I watch Porto vs Nottingham Forest?
TNT Sports 1 is showing the game live in the UK.
What is the match betting for Porto vs Nottingham Forest?
Porto are evens to win, Nottingham Forest are a 5-2 chance and the draw is 11-5.
Important information: This article may contain links to offers or promotions that were available at the time of publication. These offers may have since expired or changed.
Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.