Nottingham, England — Nottingham Forest held a 3-0 aggregate advantage over Fenerbahçe in their UEFA Europa League knockout round play-off second leg on Thursday after the first-leg victory in Istanbul, with the return fixture underway at the City Ground. Forest’s lead, secured in the first match last week, positioned the English club to advance toward the round of 16, according to UEFA competition records.
Forest, managed by Vítor Pereira, secured the first-leg result in Turkey on Feb. 19 when Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White scored in a 3-0 win over the Turkish side. The match marked Pereira’s debut in European competition since his appointment earlier in February.
The second leg began on Thursday evening at the City Ground in Nottingham, with kickoff scheduled for 20:00 GMT and both sides named in official line-ups ahead of the start. Forest made several changes from the first-leg line-up, while Fenerbahçe fielded an altered XI as they sought a substantial goal margin to overturn the deficit.
Under UEFA rules, Fenerbahçe must overcome the three-goal deficit to force extra time or achieve a victory by four goals or more to progress directly to the round of 16. The visitors had never advanced from a European tie after losing the first leg, according to statistical records.
Fenerbahçe arrived in Nottingham with injury concerns and under pressure to produce an unusually large comeback, having conceded three unanswered goals in the opening match of the tie.
Should Nottingham Forest maintain their aggregate lead or extend it, they will secure a place in the Europa League round of 16, where they are slated to face either Real Betis or Midtjylland in March, based on the current competition draw.
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Hannah Price is a digital journalist who covers breaking news, global events, and trending stories with accuracy and speed. She has previously contributed to several online magazines and has built a reputation for verifying facts before publishing. Hannah believes in responsible reporting and aims to present stories in a way that readers can trust.
