Europa League quarter-final first leg: Porto vs Nottingham Forest facts

Two former European champions meet in the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals as Porto host Nottingham Forest in the first leg at the Estádio do Dragão.

Porto were 4-1 aggregate winners against Stuttgart in the round of 16 (2-1 a, 2-0 h) following a fifth-place finish in the league phase, where they collected 17 points.

Forest prevailed on penalties after their round of 16 tie with Midtjylland had finished 2-2 on aggregate (0-1 h, 2-1 a aet, 3-0 pens). They had defeated Fenerbahçe 4-2 in the knockout phase play-offs (3-0 a, 1-2 h) after a 13th-place finish in the league phase that yielded 14 points.

Last match

The teams met on Matchday 3 in the league phase – their only previous fixture – penalties from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus giving Forest a 2-0 win at the City Ground on 23 October.

That made it just two wins from Porto's last 14 meetings with English teams (D3 L9), their last victory 1-0 against Arsenal in the first leg of a 2023/24 UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie they would eventually lose 2-4 on penalties.

Porto were unbeaten in their first 11 home matches against English clubs (W5 D6) but have won just one of the last six (D2 L3).

The Portuguese club are without a win in their last seven UEFA Cup/Europa League matches against English teams (D2 L5).

Porto have lost their last eight two‑legged European ties against English teams, since their 3-2 aggregate victory over Manchester United in the 2003/04 Champions League round of 16 (2-1 h, 1-1 a).

Aside from their Matchday 3 success against Porto, a 0-1 defeat at Braga on Matchday 7 this season is Forest's only other encounter with a Portuguese team.

Porto

Porto were Europa League winners in 2010/11, Radamel Falcao's goal giving them a 1-0 final victory against domestic rivals Braga in Dublin. It was their second UEFA Cup/Europa League triumph, having beaten Celtic 3-2 after extra time in the 2002/03 UEFA Cup final in Seville.

The Portuguese side also lifted the European Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 1987, and the Champions League in 2004.

This is Porto's fifth UEFA Cup/Europa League quarter‑final appearance (W2 L2). Their most recent was a 4-2 aggregate defeat to Sevilla in 2013/14 (1-0 h, 1-4 a), while their last success at this stage was a 10-3 aggregate win over Spartak Moskva in 2010/11 (5-1 h, 5-2 a).

Nottingham Forest

This is Forest's first season in European competition for 30 years, with their last entry – the 1995/96 UEFA Cup – concluding with a 2-7 aggregate quarter-final defeat against eventual winners Bayern München. Their last success in a European quarter‑final came in the 1983/84 UEFA Cup, when they defeated Sturm Graz 2-1 on aggregate (1-0 h, 1-1 a aet).

Back-to-back European Cup winners in 1978/79 (1-0 vs Malmö) and 1979/80 (1-0 vs Hamburg), Forest also claimed the UEFA Super Cup in 1979 with a 2-1 aggregate defeat of Barcelona (1-0 h, 1-1 a).

Key stats

Porto are unbeaten in seven Europa League matches (W5 D2), winning the three most recent.

The Portuguese team have won all their five home Europa League games this season, scoring in the first half of all of them.

Forest have won 18 of their 23 two-legged European ties.

The Nottingham side have lost only two of their last nine away matches in UEFA competition (W4 D3), winning three of the four most recent games (L1).