Midtjylland welcome Nottingham Forest to Denmark on Thursday as The Tricky Trees look to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their Europa League last 16-tie last week. Kick-off is set for 5:45pm and you can find our match preview and best bets below.
Best Bets & Predictions
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both Teams To Score – Yes | 8/13 @ Bet365 (61.9%) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | We are backing BTTS Yes because both sides generate a high number of big chances (Forest 28, Midtjylland 33 in Europe) and recent Forest games have seen both teams on the scoresheet. Both attacks have quality, and neither defence is invulnerable under pressure. |
| Igor Jesus Anytime Scorer | 13/8 @ Bet365 (38.1%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Igor Jesus has 7 goals in 11 European games for Forest, outperforming his xG by a wide margin. He’s scored all his goals inside the box and is Forest’s main aerial and poaching threat. |
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Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
How both teams go into Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland
After their 1-0 defeat in the first leg New head coach Vitor Pereira blamed even the rain after his Forest side couldn’t find the net, despite firing 22 shots against Midtjylland and then drawing another blank in a goalless Premier League clash with Fulham. Since replacing Sean Dyche last month, Pereira started brightly with a 3-0 win over Fenerbahce, but Forest have since struggled to keep that momentum going.
They are now winless in six matches across all competitions and facing the threat of relegation as well as a Europa League exit. Their finishing at home has been particularly poor, with just one goal from 99 attempts in their last five games, although they’ve looked more dangerous away from home, scoring nine in their last five. With two wins in their last three Europa League away games, Forest will need another strong performance on the road to reach their first European quarter-final since 1995-96.
Midtjylland were far more clinical than Forest in the first leg, making the most of limited chances as substitute Gue-sung Cho scored a late winner with just their second shot on target. They even came close to adding another when Valdemar Andreasen struck the crossbar from long range. Interestingly, late goals like this have been rare for Midtjylland in European away matches, with both of their 80th-minute winners coming against Forest this season.
Manager Mike Tullberg praised his side for beating what he considers a strong Premier League team twice, as Midtjylland continue to impress in the Europa League. They finished third in the league phase and have won seven of their nine matches, putting them in a great position to reach their first-ever European quarter-final. However, their domestic form took a hit with a last-minute 1-0 loss to FC Nordsjaelland, ending an eight-game unbeaten run and leaving them five points off the top of the Danish Superliga.
Midtjylland team news
Midtjylland will be without top scorer Franculino, who has 21 goals this season, due to a knee injury, and young winger Mikel Gogorza is also unavailable. There is a boost, though, as Dario Osorio returns from suspension and could compete with Kevin Mbabu for a right wing-back spot in a 3-5-2 formation. Up front, Gue-sung Cho is pushing for a starting role after scoring off the bench in the first leg, while Philip Billing is expected to keep his place in midfield alongside Denil Castillo and Pedro Bravo.
Nottingham Forest team news
Nottingham Forest have several injury concerns, with Jair Cunha picking up a foot issue in the first leg and joining Stefan Ortega, Nicolo Savona, Chris Wood, John Victor and Willy Boly on the sidelines, while Luca Netz is not eligible to play in the Europa League. There could be some changes to the lineup, with Neco Williams, Nikola Milenkovic and Ibrahim Sangare all in contention to start after being on the bench last time, and Sangare likely to partner Elliot Anderson in midfield. Further forward, Morgan Gibbs-White is set to play just behind Igor Jesus, with the duo responsible for a significant share of Forest’s goals this season, including seven in Europe for Jesus.
Head-to-Head
Last 6 Meetings
Midtjylland have won both of their previous encounters with Nottingham Forest, both away from home, underlining their confidence in this fixture.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 12/03/26 | Nottingham Forest 0-1 Midtjylland | Europe |
| 02/10/25 | Nottingham Forest 2-3 Midtjylland | Europe |
Will Midtjylland’s clinical edge decide it again?
With Midtjylland boasting a perfect record against Nottingham Forest and a sharper finishing rate across the campaign, the pressure is on Forest to convert their chances and reverse the trend. Expect both teams to threaten going forward, but the value could lie in backing both to score at 8/13 @ Bet365 (61.9%).
Odds correct at the time of writing. Please gamble responsibly.
