Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce predictions and betting tips – Pereira’s side almost there

Vitor Pereira got his Nottingham Forest tenure off to a wonderful start, guiding his new team to a 3-0 victory over Fenerbahce in the first leg of their Europa League knockout play-off.

Will the Turkish outfit get back into the tie on Thursday night, or will Forest triumph again as they seek a place in the round of 16?

• Fenerbahce win or a draw – evens with Tote
• Under 2.5 goals – 10/11 with Quinn Bet
• Talisca to score any time – 9/4 with Sky Bet

Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce odds

Find the latest Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce predictions

These are strange times for Nottingham Forest.

On the one hand, relegation back to the Championship is a very real possibility. After finishing seventh in the Premier League last term, Forest are in danger of ending this campaign in the bottom three.

Following a 1-0 home defeat by Liverpool on Sunday, Forest are only two points above the dreaded dotted line. West Ham United are in decent form, so the natives at the City Ground are increasingly restless.

On the other hand, Forest are well positioned to reach the last 16 of the Europa League. This is their first season in continental competition since 1995/96, and there is a chance that the East Midlanders will win their first European prize since Brian Clough’s back-to-back European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980.

In the form of Vitor Pereira, Forest are onto their fourth manager of the season – and none have been caretakers. Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche have all led the team in 2025/26, with Pereira the man now tasked with securing Forest’s top-flight status.

The fact he named a strong side in the first leg of this Europa League play-off suggests the powers that be at the City Ground are not willing to ditch this tournament in favour of prioritising Premier League survival. 

The decision to name a first-choice XI paid off handsomely as Forest ran out 3-0 winners in Istanbul.

It made for a fantastic start to Pereira’s tenure. The performance was just as impressive as the result; Forest were the better team on the night, outshooting their hosts 23-6. 

However, the loss to Liverpool three days later was painful, coming as it did courtesy of an Alexis Mac Allister goal seven minutes into second-half stoppage time.

It is hard to predict what Pereira will do in terms of team selection on Thursday. Despite his team’s 3-0 aggregate advantage, it would be a risk to name an entirely second-string XI. An early Fenerbahce goal would be enough to make the home fans nervous.

However, Sunday’s trip to Brighton & Hove Albion is arguably Forest’s most important game this week, not least because there is a chance they will be in the bottom three by the time that match kicks off (albeit a small one given West Ham are at Liverpool on Saturday). It is a difficult balancing act for the new boss.

Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce betting tips

Fenerbahce visit the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest in the Europa League play-offs.

Forest have done hard part

Fenerbahce have nothing to lose on Thursday. In all likelihood they are playing for pride, although Domenico Tedesco and his players must believe they can turn the tie around.

It is hard to see that happening given the size of Nottingham Forest’s lead, but from a betting perspective it is worth backing the Turkish giants to get something on the night.

A draw of any scoreline would be a good result for Forest. Even a one-goal defeat would leave them comfortably in the lead on aggregate.

Pereira will be tempted to rotate either before or during the match, whereas Fenerbahce will use their strongest available line-up. All of which suggests the away team are good value to avoid defeat. 

Fenerbahce win or a draw at evens with Tote

Fewer goals this time

Nottingham Forest made the net bulge three times in the first leg. Had their finishing been a touch sharper, they could have scored four or five goals at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.

The return fixture will probably be a tighter encounter. For one, there is no need for Forest to chase goals. Game management should be their principal focus here.

Fenerbahce, of course, will need to commit sufficient bodies to attack from the get-go. But if they are still three goals behind at half-time, their efforts are likely to fizzle out.

Taking the wider context into account, we envisage a maximum of two goals at the City Ground this week.

Under 2.5 goals at 10/11 with Quinn Bet

Talisca one to watch

Fenerbahce’s biggest issue in the first leg was the ease with which the Nottingham Forest attack cut through their defence.

But Tedesco will also have been disappointed with his team’s own attacking efforts, with Fenerbahce mustering an xG of just 0.74.

An improvement is needed on Thursday. If anyone is going to trouble the scoreboard from a Fenerbahce perspective, it is likely to be Talisca.

The Brazilian is having a fine season with more than 20 goals to his name in all competitions already.

Talisca to score any time at 9/4 with Sky Bet

Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce predicted lineups

• Nottingham Forest expected lineup: Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Dominguez, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Lucca.
• Fenerbahce expected lineup: Ederson; Semedo, Soyuncu, Oosterwolde, Mercan; Guendouzi, Kante; Asensio, Talisca, Akturkoglu; Cherif.

Where to watch Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce

• Location: City Ground, Nottingham, England.
• Date and time: Thursday 26th February, 8pm.
• How to watch: TNT Sports 1.

More Europa League predictions

We have plenty more Europa League predictions and picks – find our latest betting tips from expert punters in our match preview overview.

About the author

Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.

Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball

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