Match Overview

The 2025/26 third-round group stage match between England’s Nottingham Forest and Portugal’s Porto is scheduled for October 23 at the City Ground stadium. This preview covers the prediction, odds, and statistics for the Nottingham Forest vs Porto encounter.

Nottingham Forest Analysis

Nottingham Forest’s return to European competition has been rather disappointing so far. After two matches in the group stage, the team has only secured 1 point, placing them 25th in the standings. Their campaign began with an away draw against Real Betis (2:2), but in their last fixture, they surprisingly lost 2:3 at home to Midtjylland. Notably, the English side’s matches have been the highest-scoring in the main stage, with a total of 9 goals.

Recent Managerial Shake-up

Over the weekend, the club dismissed Ange Postecoglou, who had been in charge for only 39 days. Sean Dyche has been appointed as the new head coach.

Key Statistics for Nottingham Forest

• Nottingham Forest is currently on a 10-match winless streak across all official competitions, recording 3 draws and 7 losses.
• The team has conceded at least two goals in 7 of their last 9 official games.
• Forest has lost their last 4 home matches in both the Premier League and .

Predicted Nottingham Forest Lineup (3-4-3)*

Matz Sels – Murillo, Morato, Nikola Milenkovic – Neco Williams, Elliot Anderson, Dan Ndoye, Ibrahim Sangare – Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.

Porto Analysis

In contrast, the Portuguese side has maintained an unbeaten record so far. They began their group stage campaign with a 1-0 away victory over Salzburg, followed by a 2-1 home win against Crvena Zvezda. With 3 points, Porto sits in 7th place, trailing the other six teams due to a poorer goal difference.

Key Statistics for Porto

• In their last 15 matches, Porto has secured only 5 victories, alongside 5 draws and 5 defeats.
• The team has failed to win in 14 of their last 17 away matches in this European competition, with 5 draws and 9 losses.
• Both teams have scored in 8 of Porto’s last 10 away games in this tournament.

Predicted Porto Lineup (4-3-3)*

Diogo Costa – Martim Fernandes, Jan Bednarek, Zaidu Sanusi, Dominik Prpić – Pablo Rosario, Rodrigo Mora, Stephen Eustáquio – William Gomes, Deniz Gül, Ángel Alcarón.

Referee Profile: Radu Petrescu

Radu Petrescu (Romania)

Matches officiated – 14 (International fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 63;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.5;

Red cards shown – 2;

Average fouls per match – 25;

Penalties awarded – 21%.

Expert Match Prediction

Nottingham Forest’s Internal Challenges

Club owner Evangelos Marinakis seems to be destabilizing the team with his questionable decisions. In early September, Nuno Espírito Santo was inexplicably dismissed, only to be replaced by Ange Postecoglou as head coach. The former Tottenham manager’s tenure was brief. Consequently, Marinakis reportedly intended to personally prepare the Nottingham squad for the upcoming match, but Sean Dyche was brought in at the last minute. Therefore, significant improvements or changes from the home side should not be expected.

Betting Insights and Porto’s Strong Momentum

I believe Nottingham Forest’s prolonged winless run in official matches is likely to continue. However, I’m hesitant to back an outright away win, as Porto has often struggled on the road in European competitions. Nevertheless, their start to the new season is encouraging: Porto has secured victories in both their fixtures and is confidently leading the Primeira Liga with 7 wins and 1 draw after 8 rounds.

Our Final Prediction

My prediction is **Porto with a (0) Handicap** at odds of 2.21.

Note on Lineups

*Note: The listed lineups represent the starting XI from each team’s last match in this tournament.