Nottingham Forest hosts FC Midtjylland tonight in the Europa League Round of 16 first leg.
Forest moves forward after a tough playoff against Fenerbahçe, winning 4–2 on aggregate, including a strong 3–0 victory in the first leg. While their main goal is staying in the Premier League, European matches at the City Ground present an opportunity to return to past successes.
Historically, Forest has a solid track record, winning 65% of their first-leg knockout matches in major European competitions. However, they need to improve their form at home, having secured only one win in their last eight matches at the City Ground.
FC Midtjylland comes into this game after a successful league phase, finishing third in their 36-team table. They previously defeated Forest 3–2 in Nottingham last October. Midtjylland has a good record against English teams, winning four of their nine past encounters, and they are currently on a five-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Nottingham Forest vs FC Midtjylland – Match preview and team news
- Date: Thursday, 12 March 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
- Venue: The City Ground, Nottingham
- Referee: Rade Obrenovič
- VAR: Matej Jug
- Last Meeting: Nottingham Forest 2–3 FC Midtjylland (2 Oct 2025, Europa League)
Team News
Nottingham Forest
Coach Vítor Pereira faces several absences, with Stefan Ortega (calf), Dan Ndoye, and Jair Cunha out for this match. They join Chris Wood, Willy Boly, and Nicolò Savona on the injury list. Matz Sels is back on the UEFA list and will start in goal. Igor Jesus, the Brazilian striker, aims to increase his seven Europa League goals this season.
FC Midtjylland
The visiting team is missing key attackers, with top scorer Franculino out due to injury, along with Mikel Gogorza. Winger Darío Osorio is suspended. However, Kevin Mbabu and Philip Billing are expected to start, with Junior Brumado and Gue-sung Cho possibly leading the attack.
Form
Nottingham Forest
Forest has struggled recently, with just one win in their last five games. Despite challenges in the league, they have performed well in Europe, particularly in knockout first legs, winning 15 out of 23 attempts. Igor Jesus has been a key player in their European campaign, setting a club record for most goals by a Forest player in a major European season.
FC Midtjylland
The Danish side comes in strong, winning 11 out of their last 13 European matches, including qualifiers. Although they have dominated at home, they have not won in their last two away games in Europe. Midtjylland has previously upset English teams, defeating Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton, and Forest.
Predicted Lineups
Nottingham Forest Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
FC Midtjylland Predicted XI (3-4-3): Olafsson; Erlic, Bech Sorensen, Diao; Mbabu, Billing, Castillo, Bak; Simsir; Cho, Brumado
How to Watch Nottingham Forest vs FC Midtjylland?
The match will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, starting at 19:00 GMT before the kick-off at 20:00.
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