Nottingham Forest vs Porto Lineups April 2026 – A match in the Europa League once again presents an intense clash between two teams that still both have a chance to qualify.

Nottingham Forest will host Porto at their home ground for the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.

The match is scheduled to take place at City Ground on Thursday, 16 April 2026 at 08.00 PM local time.

Both teams are currently level at 1-1 after the first leg meeting in Portugal, leaving one spot in the semi-finals completely open.

Now, before this match begins, let us take a look at Mansion Sports' prediction for the Nottingham Forest vs Porto lineups for April 2026 below!

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest are experiencing a fairly challenging season overall, with The Tricky Trees still fighting to survive in the Premier League, but they have instead found positive form in the Europa League.

Forest actually started the league phase in a difficult manner, recording two draws, one defeat, and only one win - a 2-0 victory over Porto - in their first four matches.

However, a run of three wins and one defeat in their final four league phase matches ensured they finished in 13th place, securing a spot in the play-off round against Fenerbahce.

Forest managed to overcome Fenerbahce with a 4-2 aggregate, then defeated Midtjylland via a 3-0 penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in the round of 16.

Facing Porto again in the quarter-finals, Forest were under heavy pressure in the first leg, conceding 16 shots and only managing six attempts, but they succeeded in bringing home a 1-1 draw for the second leg at home.

Although they will be confident following a 2-0 victory over Porto at City Ground during the league phase, Forest have actually lost two of their home matches in the knockout stage so far.

FC Porto

Porto are also enjoying a much stronger season compared to the hosts, with Vitor Pereira’s side unbeaten in their last five matches, recording two wins and three draws.

Porto themselves are unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, and have suffered only one defeat in the Europa League this season.

Francesco Farioli’s team finished fifth in the league phase after recording five wins, two draws, and one defeat, then progressed convincingly after defeating Stuttgart 4-1 in the round of 16.

In addition to their Europa League performances, Porto are also leading the Portuguese league with a five-point advantage over Sporting Lisbon, boasting an impressive record of 24 wins, four draws, and only one defeat from 29 matches.

These results and their consistency throughout the 2025-26 season provide great confidence for Porto heading into this match, although their record against English teams is not particularly strong.

Porto have not won in their last five meetings against English teams in the Europa League, including a 2-0 defeat and a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest this season.

Nottingham Forest vs Porto Lineups April 2026

Below is the predicted lineup and coaches for both teams in this match.

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)

For the Nottingham Forest squad condition, they will still be without Jair Cunha, Nicolo Savona, Willy Boly, and John Victor due to injuries.

The Tricky Trees receive a boost with the return of Elliot Anderson, who missed the first leg due to suspension, and the midfielder could partner Ibrahim Sangare.

The rest of the lineup is unlikely to change significantly from the draw against Aston Villa last weekend, although Stefan Ortega is expected to replace Matz Sels as the goalkeeper.

FC Porto (4-3-3)

For the away team squad condition, Porto will be without Luuk de Jong, Martim Fernandes, Samu Aghehowa, and Nehuen Perez due to injuries.

After a dominant performance in the first leg, Farioli is likely to field the same lineup again in pursuit of a solid performance and victory in this match.

With the aggregate still level, this match is guaranteed to be tightly contested until the final minutes.

It will be interesting to see whether Nottingham Forest can take advantage of their home ground, or if Porto will advance to the semi-finals instead.

Therefore, do not miss the latest updates regarding the Nottingham Forest vs Porto Lineups April 2026 and the course of this important match.