Fresh from a commanding Premier League victory over champions Liverpool, Nottingham Forest host Swedish side Malmo at the City Ground on Thursday in matchday five of the Europa League.
The Tricky Trees currently sit 23rd in the 36-team League Phase table, three points shy of the top nine, while Malmo are still seeking their first win and occupy 32nd place.
Under new head coach Sean Dyche, Forest have left the brief and frustrating Ange Postecoglou era behind. Dyche has stabilised the side and restored belief at the City Ground, guiding the team to seven points from their last three Premier League games, including a deserved 3-0 triumph over a struggling Liverpool at Anfield last weekend that lifted them out of the relegation zone.
Forest have also performed well in Europe, collecting four points from their last two Europa League matches. A 2-0 home victory over Porto was followed by a goalless draw with Sturm Graz in Austria, where Morgan Gibbs-White missed a first-half penalty.
Still in contention for a last-16 spot, Forest will aim to extend their unbeaten home run under Dyche to four matches when they face a Malmo side that has lost its last two European away games by a combined score of 8-0, including a 5-0 defeat to Copenhagen in the Champions League qualifiers and a 3-0 loss to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League.
Thursday’s fixture also carries a historic resonance, recalling Forest’s most famous European night in 1979, when Trevor Francis scored the only goal in a 1-0 European Cup final win for Brian Clough’s side in Munich.
Malmo arrive after an 18-day break following the conclusion of the 2025 Allsvenskan season, ending with a 2-1 home win over GAIS. The 27-time Swedish champions came from behind at half-time to claim victory in a season that ended disappointingly with their second-lowest finish in 16 years—sixth place, 26 points behind surprise champions Mjallby AIF. As a result, Malmo have failed to qualify for European competition in 2026-27 unless they can pull off a remarkable Europa League campaign this season.
The challenge is considerable, as Malmo are one of only five teams in the 36-club table yet to win a match in the first four League Phase fixtures, most recently losing 1-0 at home to Rafael Benitez’s Panathinaikos. Anes Mravac’s side now prepare for their 12th match against English opposition, having lost nine of their previous 11 encounters and conceded 21 goals.
Their only win came against Nottingham Forest in the first leg of a UEFA Cup first-round tie in 1995-96, a 2-1 home victory that ultimately ended in elimination on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Nottingham Forest will be without Ola Aina (thigh), Douglas Luiz (thigh), Chris Wood (knee), Oleksandr Zinchenko (hip), Dilane Bakwa (unspecified) and Angus Gunn (knee). Gunn is also unavailable along with Taiwo Awoniyi, Omari Hutchinson and Jair Cunha.
Despite last weekend’s victory over Liverpool, Dyche is expected to make a few changes. John Victor could return in goal at the expense of Matz Sels, while Morato may come in to replace either Nikola Milenkovic or Murillo at centre-back. Ryan Yates and James McAtee will push for starting roles in midfield, and Callum Hudson-Odoi will aim for a recall on the left flank, with Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo competing for a place up front.
For Malmo, Arnor Sigurdsson (thigh), Gentian Lajqi (ACL) and Erik Botheim (broken leg) remain sidelined, but Daniel Gudjohnsen, son of former Chelsea forward Eidur Gudjohnsen, is available after serving a two-game suspension.
Lasse Berg Johnsen has missed the last two games with injury and will be assessed ahead of Thursday’s match. If he is unavailable, Otto Rosengren, Oscar Lewicki and Adrian Skogmar could form the central midfield trio.
Goalkeeper Melker Ellborg has started the last two Europa League fixtures and may retain his spot over summer signing and former Aston Villa keeper Robin Olsen. Former Leeds and Brentford defender Pontus Jansson is expected to start at centre-back alongside Andrej Duric.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Victor; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Yates, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Kalimuendo
Malmo possible starting lineup:
Ellborg; Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Busanello; Rosengren, Lewicki, Skogmar; Ekong, Haksabanovic, Bolin
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Malmo
