Braga vs Forest: Europa League Showdown!

Nottingham Forest has an opportunity to strengthen their Europa League knockout stage aspirations by securing an away victory against Braga on Thursday. This pivotal encounter is part of Matchday 7 in the competition.

Both Braga and Nottingham Forest have announced their starting lineups, featuring numerous alterations. Notably, Ryan Yates returns to the Forest midfield after recovering from an injury, indicating strategic shifts for the crucial fixture.

The match is set to commence at 20:00 GMT. UK viewers can follow the action live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. Discovery Plus offers a monthly subscription for TNT Sports, providing access across various devices.

This marks the inaugural meeting between Sporting Braga and Nottingham Forest. Braga's recent Europa League history against English clubs has been high-scoring, with past matches against Wolves and Leicester featuring numerous goals.

Braga has shown strong European form, winning 10 of their last 13 matches in the competition, maintaining clean sheets in nine of those victories. Ricardo Horta is nearing his 50th Europa League appearance and is a significant assist provider in the tournament. Their nine wins in European competition this season match a club record from 2010/11.

Nottingham Forest's sole prior encounter with a Portuguese side this season resulted in a 2-0 home victory over Porto. Under Sean Dyche, Forest has achieved three wins in their last four Europa League games, positioning him among elite English managers in the competition's early stages.

The Europa League format now features an eight-match league phase. The top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th will contest a knockout play-off round.