UEFA Europa League: Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest - Can Nottingham Forest’s New Coach Inspire a Dream Start Against Fenerbahce?
by Thobelani Moyo | by Cydias Aujard
English hoodoo to haunt Fenerbahce again in Europe?
Fenerbahce, considered to be one of the biggest clubs in Turkish football, failed to assert their authority in the UEFA Europa League (league phase). Boasting a European football pedigree, the bare minimum for the team was to finish inside the top eight in the league phase standings, guaranteeing them automatic progression to the last 16.
That was not the case, though, as the Yellow Canaries finished in 19th place with 12 points and were four points shy of eighth-placed AS Roma. The past two results in this competition stood in the way of their progress, managing just one point.
It all went downhill following a 1-0 home defeat against Aston Villa in their penultimate match. Before this unfortunate result, they were on a five-match unbeaten run at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Europe. Soon after came a tense but uneventful 1-1 draw against Romania's FCSB away from home.
Not all has been doom and gloom as Domenico Tedesco's men have gone to claim four domestic wins on the bounce. A 3-2 away victory against Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig was their third consecutive win.
The challenge now is to build on that momentum as they shift their attention to the UEFA Europa League knockout playoff. This is familiar territory for them, having faced Belgian club RSC Anderlecht in the previous edition. They progressed to the last 16 with a 5-2 aggregate score.
It's still to be seen whether they can replicate that same performance, considering their poor record against English opposition. Across nine matches, including qualifiers, the team has managed just one win, while recording six losses and two draws.
Inconsistent Forest under new management
It has been a chaotic season for Nottingham Forest, whose return to European football for the first time in 30 years has been marred by inconsistency. The club is currently flirting with relegation in the Premier League. With 27 points accumulated from 26 games, they find themselves three points ahead of the red dotted line.
The Tricky Trees' most recent league game was a disappointing goalless draw against ceiling dwellers Wolves. It was nothing but a lack of cutting edge in the final third for a team that had 35 shots and posted 2.55 expected goals (xG).
Ultimately, that led to the sacking of Sean Dyche, who had been in charge for just four months. Evangelos Marinakis, the club's owner, wasted no time in finding an immediate replacement, appointing Vitor Pereira on an 18-month contract. He becomes the fourth head coach in charge of Forest this season.
Vitor Pereira was recently in charge of Wolves but was shown the door back in November after the team went ten games without a win. Now, he is tasked with leading his current club to greater heights in Europe. Can he register his first win against Fenerbahce? Find out what our experts have to say in our Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest prediction for more insights into the match.
It must be worth noting that Pereira also coached Turkish club Fenerbahce between 2015-16 and 2021. During his time in charge, he oversaw 87 matches across all competitions. His record read W49-D16-L22, giving him a 56% win ratio.
The current situation for him is to steer Forest away from the relegation zone. Regarding the team's performance in the UEFA Europa League, there's nothing that needs fixing other than building on a 4-0 home thrashing of Ferencvaros on the final matchday of the league phase. That result was the team's third win in four games (L1).
Player to watch: Igor Jesus
Igor Jesus has been a breath of fresh air for Nottingham Forest this season, particularly in the UEFA Europa League. Despite the team's lack of cutting-edge in the Premier League, it has been a different story in this competition.
With Forest scoring 15 goals in eight league-phase games, which was the joint-third-best, Jesus contributed significantly to that total. He was responsible for the six goals, which were recorded as the joint-most by a Forest player in European competition.
The first person to achieve this feat while playing for Forest was Garry Birtles during the 1978-79 season, scoring six goals in nine European Cup games.
Igor Jesus has registered 17 shots in this competition and has 3.6 expected goals (xG). He is also averaging 0.21 xG per shot. With these numbers, there's no doubt he will be a threat in the final third and give Fener's defenders a hard time.
