Michail Antonio and Joe Cole are in agreement over how they think Nottingham Forest will fare in the Europa League this season.
Nottingham Forest will compete in the 2025/26 Europa League after Crystal Palace were demoted to the Europa Conference League for breaching multi-club ownership rules.
The Reds also have a new manager at the helm, with Ange Postecoglou – the reigning Europa League champion – recently taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo.
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And both Michail Antonio and Joe Cole think Forest will go very far indeed.
Nottingham Forest v Brentford - Premier League
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Michail Antonio and Joe Cole back Nottingham Forest to win Europa League
Antonio, who played for Forest between 2014 and 2015, has backed the City Ground side to go all the way in the Europa League.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Antonio was asked to pick the outright winner of each of Europe’s three club competitions, along with top scorers, surprise packages etc.
Likewise, Cole feels Forest will win the competition outright ahead of the likes of Aston Villa, Roma, Lille, Celtic and Rangers.
Forest’s first Europa League match is away to Real Betis on Wednesday 24 September.
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How Nottingham Forest fared last time they were in Europe
Forest are famous for winning the European Champions Cup two years in a row, triumphing in 1979 and repeating the feat in 1980 under Brian Clough.
Reds fans have waited close to 30 years to see their team back in a European competition.
Forest’s last match in European competition was a UEFA Cup quarter-final second-leg defeat to Bayern Munich on March 19, 1996.
The Reds, managed by Frank Clark, were ultimately eliminated from the competition by the eventual winners.
It has been a very long road back to the top, which included a stint in League One, but now Forest are back where they belong.