Nottingham Forest v Malmo – Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Nottingham Forest v Malmo

Nottingham Forest return to European action on Thursday night, buoyed by one of the standout Premier League results of the season.

Their 3-0 win away at Liverpool has transformed the mood at the City Ground, and suddenly Sean Dyche’s side move into matchday five with belief rather than survival anxiety.

Forest sit 23rd in the Europa League table – close enough to threaten the top nine but still with work to do. Malmo arrive further down the standings in 32nd and are without a win in their campaign so far.

The turnaround under Dyche has been sharp. Seven points from their last three league games has steadied the club after a turbulent start, while four points from their last two European outings – including a convincing 2-0 victory over Porto and a 0-0 draw away to Sturm Graz – keeps qualification firmly on the table. Their only frustration in Austria was Morgan Gibbs-White passing up a first-half penalty.

Forest are unbeaten at home since Dyche took charge, and they’ll expect to stretch that run when Malmo arrive. The cautionary detail? The Swedish side have conceded eight goals across their last two European away games, falling 5-0 to Copenhagen and 3-0 to Viktoria Plzen.

There is history here too. This fixture serves as a throwback to 1979 – the night Trevor Francis scored the winner as Forest became European champions under Brian Clough. Forty-six years later, the clubs meet again with very different stakes, but echoes of that past remain.

Malmo, meanwhile, enter the contest off a break after closing their domestic season with a 2-1 win over GAIS. However, sixth place in the Allsvenskan marked a disappointing finish for a club expected to challenge at the top.

Only a deep Europa League run can save their European involvement next season, but having failed to win any of their first four matches, qualification already looks uphill.

Team news for Nottingham Forest v Malmo

Forest remain without Ola Aina, Douglas Luiz, Chris Wood, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Dilane Bakwa and Angus Gunn through injury, while several players – including Gunn, Taiwo Awoniyi, Omari Hutchinson and Jair Cunha – are unavailable due to competition rules.

Dyche is expected to rotate after the win at Anfield. John Victor could return in goal, while Morato may come in at centre-back for either Nikola Milenkovic or Murillo. Ryan Yates and James McAtee push for midfield starts, and Callum Hudson-Odoi could also be recalled out wide. Up top, Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo are competing to lead the line.

Malmo travel without Arnor Sigurdsson, Gentian Lajqi and Erik Botheim. Daniel Gudjohnsen returns from suspension and could feature, while Lasse Berg Johnsen faces a late fitness check. Rosengren, Lewicki and Skogmar are the likely midfield trio if he misses out.

Melker Ellborg may retain his Europa League place in goal, and Pontus Jansson should anchor the defence alongside Andrej Duric.

Expected line-ups for Nottingham Forest v Malmo

Nottingham Forest: Victor; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Yates, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Kalimuendo

Malmo: Ellborg; Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Busanello; Rosengren, Lewicki, Skogmar; Ekong, Haksabanovic, Bolin

How to watch Nottingham Forest v Malmo: TV channel, online stream

Nottingham Forest v Malmo will kick-off at 20:00 GMT on Thursday night and is available to watch on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. Fans in the UK can also catch the game on the discovery+ app.

The stats for Nottingham Forest v Malmo

• Forest are unbeaten at home under Sean Dyche
• Malmo have lost their last 2 European away matches 5-0 and 3-0
• Forest have collected 4 points from their last 2 European fixtures
• Malmo are winless in the League Phase so far
• Forest beat Porto 2-0 in their most recent home match in Europe
• Malmo’s last win over English opposition came in 1995 – also against Forest

Prediction