Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce will be one of the most anticipated second legs in the UEFA Europa League play-offs, as the Reds hold a 3-0 lead after a fine first-leg victory in Turkey.
Following the sacking of Sean Dyche around two weeks ago, Nottingham Forest appointed former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Vitor Pereira and enjoyed the perfect start under the Portuguese coach.
With a dominant display away from home in the first-leg, can Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbache provide more twists and turns at the City Ground in the second-leg of the UEFA Europa League play-offs.
Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce: Reds’ New Manager Bounce
Onto their fourth manager of the season, Nottingham Forest have thrown their last lifeline as they sacked Sean Dyche and signed Vitor Pereira for the last few months of the season, with the Reds very much in hot water when it comes to the Premier League relegation battle.
The former Wolves boss, who was only sacked from his post at the West Midlands club in November 2025, was tasked with another Premier League survival job.
Wolves were in a far worse predicament in the 2024/25 season as they sat 19th with nine points from 16 matches.
The Portuguese coach will have his hands full with this Forest rescue job as the Reds’ European campaign is still alive after a brilliant 3-0 win in Turkey last week.
Goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White gave Forest a huge advantage heading into the second-leg at the City Ground.
The Reds’ qualification into the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 should have been confirmed in their final league match against Braga, but an own goal from Ryan Yates dashed their chances of progressing.
With that being said, the new manager bounce has very much paid dividends for Forest in the first-leg, whilst being in such a hostile environment like the one in Istanbul.
All that Forest need to do now is to keep the score in their favour by either winning, drawing or losing by a slim margin to advance into the UEFA Europa League Round of 16.
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Nottingham Forest vs Fenerbahce: Yellow-Navy Blues Out For Vengeance After First-Leg Thrashing
The 2023/24 UEFA Conference League Quarter-Finalists have become accustomed to playing European football regularly.
Coming second in the Turkish Superliga, Fenerbahce have had to settle for the less prestigious UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League in recent seasons; however, Domenico Tedesco’s side have still managed to compete well.
In the league phase of the UEFA Europa League, they finished in a lowly 19th place after three wins, three draws and two losses.
Still, they have been buoyed by an impressive league campaign, which has them three points behind rival Galatasaray and has seen them go unbeaten in 22 league matches so far.
The Yellow-Navy Blues have had a successful record at home this season, but that has been dented by two Premier League outfits.
Firstly, Aston Villa tainted that record with a slim 1-0 win in the UEFA Europa League league stage, and then Forest dismantled them 3-0 last week.
Nottingham Forest’s Injuries
Goalkeeper John Victor, defenders Willy Boly and Nicolo Savona and forward Chris Wood are all out with knee injuries, whilst Mat Sels continues to recover from the groin problem that he picked up at the start of the month.
Fenerbahce’s Injuries
The only injury in the Fenerbahce camp is of loanee Edson Alvarez, which he picked up in a league fixture a couple of weeks ago.
Nottingham Forest’s Predicted Lineup
Stefan Ortega; Neco Williams, Murrilo, Nikola Milenkovic, Ola Aina; Elliot Anderson, Ibrahim Sangare; Omari Hutchinson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus
Fenerbahce’s Predicted Lineup
Ederson; Nelson Semedo, Milan Skriniar, Jayden Oosterwolde, Mert Mulder; Matteo Guendouzi, Anderson Talisca, N’Golo Kanté; Marco Asensio, Sidiki Cherif, Kerem Akturkoglu
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO/Middle East Images
Recording Date: 19.02.2026
