Nottingham vs Porto: who will secure a place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals?
On Thursday, April 16, the UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg between Nottingham and Porto will take place. The match kicks off at 21:00 CET, and I’m offering a betting tip for it.
Nottingham vs Porto: match facts and head-to-head
- The first leg between these sides ended in a 1–1 draw.
- Nottingham are unbeaten in five consecutive matches: two wins and three draws.
- Nottingham have scored in four games in a row.
- Porto are unbeaten in eight straight matches.
- Porto have scored in eight consecutive games.
- At home, Nottingham have failed to win in seven matches: three defeats and four draws.
- Porto have won their last three away matches.
- Porto score in both halves in 44% of their matches.
- Porto have kept clean sheets in 51% of their games this season, while Nottingham have done so in 20%.
- Only 4% of Porto’s matches in the current campaign have ended in defeat without scoring.
- These teams have met twice: one draw and one Nottingham victory.
Nottingham vs Porto: match preview
Nottingham and Porto played out a draw in the first leg, with both goals coming early and just two minutes apart. Porto opened the scoring in the 11th minute, and Nottingham equalised two minutes later. There were no further goals, although one effort from the Forest side was ruled out for a foul.
Nottingham followed that up with a Premier League clash against Aston Villa, which also ended 1–1. The Forest sit 16th in the table with 33 points after 32 matches. They are just three points above the relegation zone, meaning the battle for survival is still very much on. In the Europa League, they finished 13th in the standings, then beat Fenerbahçe 4–2 and Midtjylland 3–2 in the previous rounds.
Porto finished fifth in the UEFA Europa League standings and advanced directly to the round of 16. At that stage, they defeated Stuttgart with an aggregate score of 4–1. Domestically, Porto are in excellent form and currently lead the table. After 29 matches, they have collected 76 points, sitting in first place with a five-point cushion over second.
Probable line-ups
- Nottingham Forest: Ortega; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
- Porto: Diogo Costa; Afonso Costa, Silva, Bednarek, Sanusi; Fofana, Rosario, Veiga; Gomes, Moffi, Sainz
Prediction
A very intense contest awaits, as both sides are determined to reach the Europa League semi-finals. With both teams in strong form, the pick is for both teams to score.
