Midtjylland vs Nottingham Forest – News and Probable Lineups

Nottingham Forest aims to overcome a one-goal deficit from the first leg as they head to Dinamarca to compete against FC Midtjylland at MCH Arena on Thursday night for the second leg of their Europa League last-16 clash.

Five months following their 3-2 defeat to the Wolves in the League Phase, the Tricky Trees faced another setback last week, losing by a narrow 1-0 margin at the City Ground.

Match overview

To draw a full house for last week’s first leg at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest significantly reduced ticket prices; however, home fans were left disappointed after experiencing yet another frustrating result against a well-known opponent in Midtjylland.

New head coach Vitor Pereira mentioned that “even the rain worked against” his Forest team, who were unable to capitalize on their 22 shots on target against Midtjylland and failed to score again during Sunday’s goalless draw with Fulham in the Premier League.

Since taking over from Sean Dyche last month, Pereira made a strong entrance at Forest with a notable away victory over Fenerbahce (3-0) in his debut match, yet the Tricky Trees have struggled to gain momentum since, not winning in their last six matches across all competitions (D2 L4).

With the threat of relegation from Inglaterra’s top division looming and the prospect of elimination from the Europa League, Forest has lost their attacking sharpness at home, managing only one goal in their last five fixtures on their own turf from 99 attempts. In contrast, the Tricky Trees have scored nine goals in their five most recent away matches.

In fact, Forest has secured two victories in their last three Europa League away encounters (L1) and must deliver another strong performance away from home if they are to reach the quarter-finals of a major European tournament for the first time since the 1995-96 UEFA Cup.

In sharp contrast, Midtjylland displayed their ruthlessness in the first leg last week, with substitute Gue-sung Cho scoring the winner just ten minutes from the end with only their second shot on target throughout the match. They could have added to their lead if Valdemar Andreasen hadn’t hit the crossbar with a powerful 25-yard attempt.

Historically, Midtjylland has only recorded two away goals in the 80th minute or later in their major European campaigns, both against Forest (including an 88th-minute strike in the previously mentioned 3-2 victory during the League Phase in October).

Head coach Mike Tullberg emphasized how extraordinary it has been for his squad to triumph over a “very good” side in the Premier League on two occasions this season, a team he believes “is not battling against relegation”.

This season, Midtjylland has indeed been one of the unexpected highlights in the Europa League, finishing third in the 36-team League Phase, achieving seven victories in nine Europa League encounters (D1 L1), and now stands in a solid position to reach the quarter-finals of any European competition for the first time in their history.

The Wolves are also striving to clinch the Danish Superliga title this season, but they encountered a significant setback last weekend, suffering a 1-0 defeat against FC Nordsjaelland at home. A last-minute goal in the 99th minute has since reduced their lead to five points from the top, while their impressive eight-match unbeaten streak across all competitions has come to an end.

Team News

Midtjylland striker Franculino, leading the team with 21 goals this season, has been ruled out due to a knee injury, and teenage winger Mikel Gogorza (unspecified) is also unavailable.

Nonetheless, Dario Osorio is set to return from a one-match suspension and will compete with former Fulham player Kevin Mbabu for a starting position at right wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation.

Gue-sung Cho will aim to secure a starting spot up front following his goal as a substitute in the first leg, while former Bournemouth midfielder Philip Billing is expected to keep his position in the starting XI alongside Denil Castillo and Pedro Bravo.

On the side of Nottingham Forest, Jair Cunha was substituted early during the first leg due to a foot injury and is joined in the treatment room by Stefan Ortega (calf), Nicolo Savona, Chris Wood, John Victor, and Willy Boly (all knee issues). Luca Netz, meanwhile, is ineligible for the Europa League.

Neco Williams, Nikola Milenkovic, and Ibrahim Sangare may all return to the lineup after starting on the bench in the first leg, with the latter hoping to pair with Elliot Anderson in central midfield.

Morgan Gibbs-White is anticipated to start in a more advanced role behind striker Igor Jesus. Together, they have scored 40% of Forest’s 55 goals across all competitions this season, with the latter accounting for seven of those in the Europa League; only Ludogorets’ Petar Stanic has matched that tally in the tournament.

FC Midtjylland probable starting XI:

Olafsson; Erlic, Bech Sorensen, Diao; Osorio, Billing, Bravo, Castle, Bak; Simsir, Broken

Nottingham Forest probable starting XI:

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

The 8.4% shot conversion rate of Nottingham Forest in all competitions this season is a cause for alarm, but they have shown a preference for away play recently and must adopt an attacking mindset to secure victory in Dinamarca.

However, Midtjylland has triumphantly won all four of their home fixtures in the Europa League this season, conceding only one goal along the way, and after frustrating the Tricky Trees twice in this competition already, we anticipate that the hosts will achieve an aggregate win.