Vitor Pereira faces a baptism of fire in his first game as Nottingham Forest boss.
In this article, we’ll analyse the following players:
The Portuguese succeeded Sean Dyche at the City Ground helm over the weekend. The former Wolves man is Forest’s fourth permanent manager this season. And while the aim is Premier League safety, the Tricky Trees have a Europa League playoff tie to navigate first.
Forest travel to Istanbul to take on Fenerbahce for the first leg of their European tie this week. The clash sees Pereira come up against one of his many former employers having managed the Yellow Canaries for the 2015-16 season.
10 years on, and who are Fener’s star men as Forest look to claim a first leg advantage? We run through the Turkish side’s key players ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash.
Goalkeeper – Ederson
Ederson’s Fenerbahce move paved the way for Manchester City to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma last summer. The Brazilian’s move caught the eye and then some. Ederson was widely considered one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in Europe, even if his shotstopping ability left little to the imagination.
Even so, the 32-year-old is often responsible for setting Fener on the front foot. Indeed, he completed the fourth most long passes (58) in the league phase. A 71.78% pass accuracy was also commendable. Three clean sheets also ranks fifth in the Europa League to reinforce Ederson’s importance for the Super Lig side.
Midfield – N’Golo Kante
N’Golo Kante has started two games for Fenerbahce, and they won both. Fans will hope that run continues in midweek. Kante moved to the Turkish powerhouse from Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad earlier this month and he’s quickly established himself as a key player under Domenico Tedesco.
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Added to Fener’s Europa League squad, Kante’s primary task will be to limit Morgan Gibbs-White’s influence in the final third. The Forest star has been directly involved in three European goals this season, netting once. While he hasn’t been at his best, the England international can turn a game on its head in the blink of an eye. It’s up to Kante to keep the Forest man in check.
Midfield – Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio has been unable to transfer his fine league form to the Europa League. The Spaniard has 10 goals and eight assists to his name in the Super Lig this season. He’s yet to get among the goals or provide for a teammate in Europe. It’s not for want of trying, of course.
Asensio is averaging 1.9 shots per game in the 2025-26 Europa League campaign. 11 chances created ranks 35th, and second of all Fener players. Having been directly involved in a goal in each of his last three appearances, Asensio comes into Thursday’s game in good form. The welcome of Forest would be the perfect time to get among the goals and assists.
Forward – Anderson Talisca
Fenerbahce’s decision to sell Youssef En-Nesyri and failure to sign Darwin Nunez increases the pressure on Anderson Talisca. The Brazilian has scored 13 league goals this season. Only two players have scored more in the Europa League than the 32-year-old (4).
Anderson is confident in his ability to go for goal. After all, he ranks second for shots (24) in Europe’s second club competition. And like Asensio, the forward comes into Thursday’s game in good form. Forest are conceding the fewer shots per game (7) in the Europa League this season. Anderson will have his work cut out if he is to add to his goal haul this week.
