Di Europa League quarter-final don start with one big match wey dey hold for Estadio do Dragao on Thursday. Porto dey host Nottingham Forest for di first leg of dis important tie. Di two teams don confirm dia starting line-ups, and di match go kick off at 20:00 BST.
For Porto side, dem get some injury wahala. Centre-back Nehuen Perez dey out with Achilles problem, midfielder Luuk de Jong get knock, and forward Samu Aghehowa knee injury don sideline am. Assistant coach Andre Castro dey suspended, and some players like Alberto Costa, Jan Bednarek, William Gomes, Rodrigo Mora, Pablo Rosario, Dominik Prpic and Zaidu Sanusi dey one yellow card away from ban for di competition.
Porto starting XI na: Diogo Costa, Martim Fernandes, Thiago Silva, Jan Bednarek, Zaidu Sanusi, Seko Fofana, Pablo Rosario, Gabri Veiga, William Gomes, Terem Moffi, Borja Sainz. Dem get substitutes wey include Jakub Kiwior, Victor Froholdt, Pepe, Claudio Ramos, and oda players.
Nottingham Forest sef get dia own team news. Chris Wood, di New Zealand striker wey score 20 goals for last season Premier League, don return after six months out with knee injury. But dem still miss goalkeeper John Victor and defenders Willy Boly and Nicolo Savona with knee problems. Centre-back Jair Cunha dey out with ankle issue, and midfielder Elliot Anderson dey banned.
Forest starting XI na: Stefan Ortega, Nicolas Dominguez, Zach Abbott, Murillo, Morato, James McAtee, Ryan Yates, Morgan Gibbs-White, Dilane Bakwa, Chris Wood, Dan Ndoye. Dia substitutes include Matz Sels, Neco Williams, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and oda players.
Dis match na part of di Europa League quarter-finals wey dey hold over two legs. Porto finish 5th for Europa League table with 17 points, while Nottingham Forest finish 13th with 14 points. Forest play knockout playoffs against Fenerbache and win 4-2 on aggregate before reach dis stage.
For Round of 16, Porto beat Stuttgart 4-1 on aggregate. For second leg, Porto win di German side 2-0 at home with goals from William Gomes and Victor Froholdt. Just over di weekend, Porto draw 2-2 with Famalicao at home but dem still dey top of Liga Portugal table.
Nottingham Forest eliminate FC Midtjylland for Round of 16 on penalty shootout. After two legs finish 2-2, Midtjylland miss all dia penalties and Forest win di shootout 3-0 to advance. Forest last match for Premier League na against Tottenham Hotspur on March 22, 2026, wey dem win 3-0 away with goals from Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Di match go dey available for live TV coverage for UK on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max app. TNT Sports dey cost £30.99 per month and dem dey available for many devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles. For United States, kick-off time na 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
Former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva dey start for Porto alongside ex-Southampton centre-back Jan Bednarek. Ex-Norwich City forward Borja Sainz dey in attack for di hosts. Porto lose 2-0 to Nottingham Forest for October, so dem go wan revenge for dis match.
Di winners of dis tie go face Bologna or Aston Villa for semi-finals. Those two teams go meet for dia own quarter-final first leg at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on Thursday too. Everything set for big football action for Portugal as Europa League quarter-finals continue.
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