Nottingham Forest take on Porto in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final at the Estadio do Dragao
18:52, 09 Apr 2026Updated 18:53, 09 Apr 2026
Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira
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Nottingham Forest head coach Vitor Pereira(Image: PA)
Head coach Vitor Pereira has named his Nottingham Forest team to face Porto in this evening’s Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Back in action for the first time after the international break, Pereira will hope his players are refreshed and revitalised ready for the huge run-in ahead. The battle for Premier League survival has been put to one side for now as the Reds focus on trying to extend their continental adventure.
They are just four games away from a European final and a shot at silverware. But they know Portuguese heavyweights Porto will be tricky opponents in the last eight of the competition.
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Forest have toppled Porto once already this season, beating them 2-0 at the City Ground in October during the league phase of the tournament. Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus were both on target from the penalty spot on that occasion, in what was Sean Dyche’s first match in the hot seat after replacing Ange Postecoglou as manager.
Pereira is the man now tasked with fighting on two fronts and will be keen to build on the momentum the Reds had built prior to the break. Unbeaten in three games in all competitions, Forest signed off for the near-three week hiatus with a confidence-boosting 3-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in the league.
Pereira has made nine changes to his starting XI from that victory in the capital, with Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White the only players to keep their spots. There is a return for striker Chris Wood, who makes his first appearance since October after recovering from knee surgery.
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It looks like being a back three for the visitors, with Zach Abbott, Murillo and Morato lining up ahead of goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. Nicolas Dominguez and Ryan Yates will occupy the midfield spots, while Dilane Bakwa and Dan Ndoye seem likely to take up the wing-back positions.
Gibbs-White and James McAtee will provide attacking support for front man Wood. The substitutes’ bench will be made up of Matz Sels, Neco Williams, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus, Lorenzo Lucca, Omari Hutchinson, Nikola Milenkovic, Ola Aina, Archie Whitehall, Jimmy Sinclair and Justin Hanks.
Forest: Ortega; Abbott, Murillo, Morato; Bakwa, Dominguez, Yates, Ndoye; Gibbs-White, McAtee; Wood. Subs: Sels; Williams, Sangare, Hudson-Odoi, Jesus, Lucca, Hutchinson, Milenkovic, Aina, Whitehall, Sinclair, Hanks.
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Nottingham Forest have reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals where they face FC Porto on April 9. Fans can watch the game on TNT Sports via HBO Max or Prime Video's TNT Sports channel.