Nottingham Forest will be eyeing their 2nd win in the Europa League when they hit the road to square up against Sturm Graz.
Austrian giants Sturm Graz will host a struggling Nottingham Forest outfit at the Merkur Arena on Thursday night in matchday four of the Europa League. It promises to be a high-voltage encounter, given that both teams have only won one European fixture so far this season.
The home team are 27th in the Europa League with three points in as many outings. They started their campaign with a defeat at the hands of FC Midtjylland. While they did bounce back against the Rangers, their last European outing ended in a 2-1 defeat to Celtic.
Following their defeat to the Scottish club last time out, they have also lost their last two league outings. The Austrian outfit are certainly not in the best of form, and they might find it difficult to get the desired result against the Premier League outfit.
Nottingham Forest are 17th in the Europa League with four points in their three outings. They started their campaign with a hard-fought draw against Real Betis, but ended up losing to FC Midtjylland on Matchday 2. However, they are heading into this one on the back of a clinical 2-0 win over FC Porto.
The Tricky Trees are 19th in the Premier League, with just one win in ten outings. They are certainly struggling to replicate their performances from last season. However, the draw against an in-form Manchester United last time out will give them a lot of confidence heading into this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Sturm Graz
The home team will be without the services of Max Johnston and Belmin Beganovic because of injury. Meanwhile, Tochi Chukwuani will be serving a suspension, and Alexandar Borkovic is ineligible after being left out of the squad.
Sturm Graz will line up in a 4-1-2-1 formation, where Matteo Bignetti will feature in goal. Tim Oermann and Emir Karic should be the full-backs, with Emanuel Aiwu pairing up with Dimitri Lavalee in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit Jon Gorenc Stankovic will take up the role of protecting the backline, while Tomi Horvat and Filip Rozga will be in his support as the two central midfielders in the centre of the pitch.
Otar Kiteishvili will feature in the number ten role, while Maurice Malone and Seedy Jatta will be the two forwards leading the line for Sturm Graz against Nottingham Forest on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (4-1-2-1-2): Bignetti; Oermann, Aiwu, Lavalee, Karic; Stankovic; Horvat, Rozga; Kiteishvili; Malone, Jatta
Sturm Graz vs Nottingham Forest Predicted XI
Nottingham Forest
Sean Dyche already had quite a few injuries to deal with, and now Douglas Luiz also looks set to join the likes of Ola Aina, Chris Wood, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Dilane Bakwa on the sidelines after coming off against Manchester United in the first half with a hamstring issue.
Taiwo Awoniyi, Omari Hutchinson, Jair Cunha, and Angus Gunn are all unavailable as they were left out of the Europa League squad. Nottingham Forest will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Matz Sels will be in goal. Nicolo Savona and Neco Williams will be the full-backs, while Nikola Milenkovic will pair up with Murillo in the heart of the defence.
With Luiz unavailable, Ibrahim Sangare could come into the team to form the double pivot with Elliot Anderson in the middle of the park. The duo will be looking to ensure they dominate the ball and control the tempo.
Morgan Gibbs-White will be the attacking midfielder, while Dan Ndoye and Callum Hudson-Odoi should feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks. Finally, Igor Jesus will continue to lead the line for Nottingham Forest against Sturm Graz on Thursday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Anderson, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Sturm Graz vs Nottingham Forest Predicted XI
Key Stats
Both teams have faced each other twice back in 1983/84 in the UEFA Cup. Nottingham were unbeaten in both those fixtures, winning at home and securing a draw away.
Both teams have the joint second-worst defensive record in the competition, having conceded five goals in their three outings.
The Tricky Trees are yet to win an away game this season. They have failed to score in their last two outings on the road.
Nottingham Forest do not have the best of defensive records, having conceded at least two goals in five out of their last six outings in all competitions.
The Austrian outfit have scored one goal apiece in their last four fixtures.
Player to Watch
Callum Hudson-Odoi
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The former Chelsea attacker has not been in the best of form this season. He has only scored one goal in his 13 outings across competitions. While the numbers suggest he might not have a big say in this fixture, the 24-year-old did showcase a lot of promise against Manchester United.
He was a constant threat against the Red Devils from the left flank, and given the kind of impact he had, Hudson-Odoi could be the one to watch out for. The wide attacker could finally end up adding to his tally in their fixture and help his team secure back-to-back wins in the Europa League.
Prediction
Sturm Graz 0-2 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest will be eager to build on their impressive win over FC Porto when they travel to Austria to face Sturm Graz on Thursday night. Sean Dyche’s men have struggled for consistency this season, but their resilient display against Manchester United in the Premier League showed signs of progress.
The hosts, meanwhile, are enduring a difficult run, having lost their last two league games as well as their previous Europa League outing against Celtic. Their struggles in front of goal and defensive lapses could prove costly against a Forest side desperate to climb up the European table. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.