FC Porto vs Nottingham Forest Predictions

• Porto are unbeaten in 13 at home, winning 11
• Forest have four defeats in their last eight games
• Forest needed penalties to overcome Midtjylland in the previous round

Porto can seize the advantage

Nottingham Forest head to Porto for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday in what looks a big ask for the Premier League side.

Forest’s priority this season is Premier League survival, and they are facing a Porto side with a formidable home record.

The Porto have won 11 of their last 13 home games, drawing the other two, and they have a perfect record at the Estádio do Dragão in the Europa League with five wins in as many games.

Porto beat a good Stuttgart side convincingly in the previous round, winning both legs, whereas Forest had to dig deep against Denmark’s Midtjylland as they were taken all the way to penalties. Forest lost at Braga during the league phase, and they look set for another defeat in Portugal against a strong Porto outfit on Thursday.

Forest can at least keep the tie alive by getting on the scoresheet and a 2-1 win for the Dragões is the correct score pick. Porto have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight games and they’ve conceded in three of their five home Europa League games, while Forest have scored in seven consecutive road games. Porto have scored at least twice in each of their last six games across all competitions and exactly twice in five of those games.

Porto forward William Gomes should come into this game fairly fresh after he was used sparingly in the 2-2 draw with Famalicao last time out. The Brazilian had scored in three straight games before that stalemate and he can add to his three Europa League goals with an anytime effort against Forest.