Samba Fever at the City Ground: Forest's Brazilian Quartet Faces Midtjylland Rematch!
Nottingham Forest host FC Midtjylland in the Europa League Round of 16 first leg, fielding a historic four Brazilians in their XI amid injury woes. The Tricky Trees seek revenge after a 3-2 league phase loss, while the Danish giants boast a strong record against English clubs. Key battles and predicted lineups set the stage for a City Ground cracker.
Samba Fever at the City Ground: Forest's Brazilian Quartet Faces Midtjylland Rematch!
Picture this: the roar of the City Ground, floodlights blazing, and Nottingham Forest lining up with four Brazilians in their starting XI. Hasn't happened for an English side in Europe since 2014, as reported by The Football Faithful on OneFootball. Tonight's Europa League Round of 16 first leg against FC Midtjylland could be the spark to reignite the Tricky Trees' continental dreams – or turn into another Danish delight.
Vítor Pereira's lads scraped through past Fenerbahçe with a 4-2 aggregate romp, including that cheeky 3-0 away win. Sure, Premier League scraps are the bread and butter, but these European nights? Pure nostalgia, evoking glory days under Cloughie. Forest boast a tidy 65% win rate in first-leg knockouts historically, but their home form's been wobblier than a pint on a wobbly pub table – just one win in eight at the City Ground lately.
Danish Wolves Sniffing Blood
Midtjylland aren't pushovers, mind. Mike Tullberg's Wolves topped third in the league phase, and they've got form against English sides: scalps over Man City, Man United, Southampton, and a 3-2 thriller at the City Ground back in October. They're unbeaten in five across all comps, with 11 wins from 13 recent Euro ties. Away form's a tad iffy lately, but don't tell them that – they've got Kevin Mbabu and Philip Billing, ex-Prem lads ready to boss midfield.
Forest fans might remember that last clash fondly? Nah, it stung. Midtjylland pinched it 3-2, so revenge is on the menu. Kick-off's 20:00 GMT Thursday, 12 March 2026, ref'd by Rade Obrenovič with Matej Jug on VAR. Tune in on TNT Sports 1 from 19:00 – grab the lads, crack open a lager.
Injury Headaches and Key Battles
Pereira's got a squad in tatters. Stefan Ortega (calf), Dan Ndoye, Jair Cunha are out, joining long-term crocks Chris Wood, Willy Boly, and Nicolò Savona. Good news? Matz Sels is back on the UEFA list and slots in goal. Up top, Igor Jesus – the Brazilian record-breaker with seven Europa goals this term – leads the line, backed by Ola Aina, Murillo, and mates.
Midtjylland miss Franculino (top scorer), Mikel Gogorza (injured), and Darío Osorio (banned). But Junior Brumado and Gue-sung Cho fancy a goal or two.
Predicted Forest XI (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Morato (swapping in for Milenkovic post-Man City draw), Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus.
Predicted Midtjylland XI (3-4-3): Olafsson; Erlic, Bech Sorensen, Diao; Mbabu, Billing, Castillo, Bak; Simsir; Cho, Brumado.
That Brazilian quartet – Jesus, Murillo, plus two more – could samba past the Danes. Forest win 15 of 23 historic first-leg knockouts, but one slip and it's second leg jitters.
Form Guide and What's at Stake
Forest? Patchy – one win in five lately, but Europe brings out their bite. Midtjylland? Red hot, though away Euro woes linger. Expect goals: Jesus vs Cho, Gibbs-White's magic vs Billing's steel.
If Forest channel that Fener fire, City Ground erupts. Midtjylland smell upset blood. Either way, it's knockout footy – tense, tasty, and unmissable. Will the Samba beat echo, or do the Wolves howl back? COYR!
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