The match of Matchday 8 of the group stage of the 2025/26 Europa League between Nottingham Forest (England) and Ferencváros (Hungary) will take place on 29 January at City Ground. Nottingham Forest vs Ferencváros: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest visited Braga in the last round and lost 0:1. This was only the second defeat for the hosts in the current group stage of the Europa League. It was also only the second time the side failed to score. Despite the loss, Nottingham Forest have secured participation in the knockout stage of the competition, as they are four points ahead of the nearest rival, who is outside the top-23. It is worth noting that in their home matches in this competition an average of 3.3 goals are scored.
- The club have avoided defeat in 4 of their last 5 Europa League matches (3 wins and 1 draw).
- At least one team failed to score in 4 of Nottingham Forest’s last 5 games in this European competition.
- The hosts did not concede a goal in the first half in their previous five matches in this tournament.
Potential Nottingham Forest Lineup (4-4-2)*
Matz Sels – Ola Aina, Nicolo Savona, Nikola Milenkovic, Felipe Morato – James McAtee, Dylan Bakwa, Douglas Luiz, Ryan Yates – Morgan Gibbs-White, Dan Ndoye.
Forward Chris Wood and goalkeeper John Victor are sidelined with injuries. Midfielder Elliot Anderson is unavailable due to suspension.
Ferencváros
Ferencváros failed to beat Panathinaikos at home in the last round, drawing 1:1. Nevertheless, the club's unbeaten run in this competition increased to seven matches, in which it recorded four wins and three draws. As a result the team finished among the top eight and has already secured participation in the knockout stage. If Ferencváros win this match, they will advance to the round of 16. It is also worth noting that, apart from the club, only Freiburg and Viktoria Plzeň have not suffered a defeat in the group stage.
- Both teams scored in the club’s previous five matches in this European competition.
- Away from home Ferencváros did not win in 9 of their last 12 Europa League matches (2 draws and 7 defeats).
- The team failed to score in the first half in 15 of their last 16 away matches in this tournament.
Potential Ferencváros Lineup (4-5-1)*
Dávid Gróf – Ibrahima Cissé, Ton Ramakers, Cadu, Gábor Sallai – Chebrail Makretskis, Kristoffer Zachariassen, Gabriel Kanichovski, Yonatan Levi, Júlio Romão – Bamidele Yusuf.
Defender Stefan Gartenmann will miss the match due to injury. Defender Ton Ramakers will miss the meeting due to suspension.
Referee
Sebastian Gishamer (Austria)
Matches – 15 (International fixtures, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (Including Second Yellows) – 67;
Average Yellow/Red Cards Per Match – 4.5;
Red Cards Shown – 5;
Fouls Per Match On Average – 24;
Penalties – 13%.
Nottingham Forest vs Ferencváros: Match Prediction
Both teams have secured participation in the Europa League knockout stage. However, the visitors have slightly higher tournament motivation and will make every effort to avoid additional play-offs and progress directly to the round of 16. For that reason we give a slight preference to Ferencváros in this encounter. In addition, Ferencváros have not suffered a single defeat in the current group stage.
We also note that the Hungarians have conceded more than one goal in only 1 of their last 7 matches in this competition. As for Nottingham Forest, even if they win, they are unlikely to finish in 8th place, so they may field a weakened side in the final round while focusing on upcoming domestic fixtures. In the Europa League the hosts have only twice won by a margin of two or more goals in seven matches. Therefore our prediction is Ferencváros with a handicap (+1).
Prediction: Ferencváros (+1)
* For each team the starting lineup from its last match in this competition is indicated.
