Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland: Line-ups, stats and preview

Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland match preview

Nottingham Forest’s first European home match since 1996 is also a chance for new manager Ange Postecoglou to build upon the best result of his reign so far on Matchday 2 of the 2025/26 Europa League.

Postecoglou has lost three and drawn one of his domestic matches since taking charge on September 9 but guided his new squad to a 2-2 draw at Real Betis on September 24, recovering from falling behind to lead for 62 minutes.

“We got a point in a really difficult place and it sets us up nicely for this game,” said Postecoglou, who won the competition last season with Tottenham.

“You have to do well in your home games and win maximum points, especially when every away game is tricky.

“[Midtjylland] have a real distinct style to their game – very direct, strong at set-pieces… irrespective of who the manager is. It’ll be a tough game, for sure.

“There are things we know they will bring to the party but it’s up to us to combat that and make sure – particularly because we’re at home – that we impose ourselves.”

The Australian speaks from experience because his Celtic side faced Midtjylland in Champions League qualifying in July 2021, taking the lead in both legs but losing 3-2 on aggregate courtesy of a 94th-minute winner.

Second in Denmark last season, The Wolves won five and drew one of their European games on their way to qualifying before beating reigning Austrian champions Sturm Graz 2-0 in their league phase opener.

“You never know when will be a good time to face them,” said manager Mike Tullberg. “It will be their first home game in Europe for almost 30 years and there will definitely be a special atmosphere.

“We have won our last four games, we are in a good place and we believe we are ready to put in a good performance.

“Their wingers are good one-on-one, no matter who is playing. The same goes for their forwards. But we are ready to take on the challenge.”

Midfielder Philip Billing has an impressive record against Forest from his time with Bournemouth and Huddersfield Town, registering three goals and one assist in nine matches, as well as five wins and only one defeat.

“It is not about what I have done before, although that has been great,” reflected the 29-year-old. “It’s a great stadium… it will be a great backdrop.

“I feel we have the quality in this team to surprise.”

Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland team news

Former Borussia Dortmund caretaker manager Tullberg said he hopes to have wingers Mikel Gogorza and Dario Osorio back from injuries.

London-born former Arsenal goalkeeper Ovie Ejeheri remains out for the side sitting second after 10 games of the Superliga season.

Centre-back Murillo is expected to return from injury for Forest, who will miss midfielder Douglas Luiz (hamstring) and left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko (groin).

Full-back Ola Aina has a long-term hamstring injury.

Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland predicted line-ups

Nottingham Forest starting XI: Matz Sels, Neco Williams, Nikola Milenkovic, Morato, Jair Cunha, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare, Elliot Anderson, Nicolas Dominguez, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus

Midtjylland starting XI: Elias Olafsson, Ousmane Diao, Lee Han-Beom, Mads Bech, Adam Gabriel, Denil Castillo, Philip Billing, Pedro Bravo, Paulinho, Franculino Dju, Aral Simsir

How to watch Forest v Midtjylland: TV channel, online live streams

The match kicks off at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT) on Thursday and is being shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.

TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through discovery+, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.

Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland stats

Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland prediction