Nottingham Forest travel to the Estádio Municipal de Braga on Thursday for a pivotal battle in the Europa League race for automatic knockout qualification.
The Tricky Trees face Sporting Braga with both sides eyeing a top-eight finish. Sean Dyche’s men have endured a difficult domestic run. However, their European form remains a significant bright spot.
Forest currently occupy 11th place and seek to leapfrog their seventh-placed hosts. Nevertheless, the Portuguese outfit boasts a nearly flawless home record. This presents a daunting challenge for the visitors.
Sporting Braga vs Nottingham Forest – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: Thursday, 22 January 2026
- Kick-off: 20:00 GMT
- Venue: Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga, Portugal
- Referee: Igor Pajač
- VAR: Ivan Bebek
- Last Meeting: Braga 0–3 Nottingham Forest (July 2016 – Friendly)
Team News
Sporting Braga
Carlos Vicens faces a significant blow as top scorer Rodrigo Zalazar serves a continental suspension. The Archbishops are also without the injured Amine El Ouazzani and Sandro Vidigal. January signing Samy Merheg is ineligible for this stage of the competition. In a boost to their experience, 39-year-old João Moutinho is expected to start in midfield.
Nottingham Forest
The Reds have received a squad boost with Ola Aina and Angus Gunn added to the roster. Gunn replaces the injured John Victor, while Aina returns to contention following a recent injury layoff. Chris Wood remains sidelined with a knee injury sustained earlier this month. Brazilian striker Igor Jesus, the club’s top scorer, is expected to lead the line.
Form
Sporting Braga
Sporting Braga have transformed the Estádio Municipal de Braga into a genuine European fortress. Including qualifiers, Braga have won 10 of their last 13 European matches. They have kept nine clean sheets in that impressive run. Captain Ricardo Horta is set to make his 50th Europa League start tonight. He brings significant creative pedigree with 13 career assists in the competition.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest head to Portugal with a chance to make history for their manager. Sean Dyche has won three of his first four Europa League games. A victory would make him the first Englishman to win four of his first five matches. The Reds have already found success against Portuguese opposition, having defeated FC Porto 2–0 this term. This marks the first-ever competitive meeting between these two clubs.
Predicted Lineups
Sporting Braga Predicted XI: Hornicek; Lagerbielke, Carvalho, Niakate; Dorgeles, Grillitsch, Moutinho, Lelo; Martinez, Victor, Horta
Nottingham Forest Predicted XI: Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Luiz; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
How to watch Sporting Braga vs Nottingham Forest?
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 19:00 GMT.
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