Nottingham vs Fenerbahce Prediction & Betting Tips (26 February)

Nottingham’s Europa League tie with Fenerbahce heads back to the City Ground with the English side carrying a commanding advantage from the first leg in Istanbul, where Vítor Pereira’s debut in the Forest dugout could hardly have gone better. The Portuguese coach, appointed only days before that trip, has quickly become the central storyline of Forest’s European campaign, with his side showing new structure off the ball and a sharper edge in transition. Fenerbahce, meanwhile, arrive under pressure after an inconsistent league-phase run in Europe and a demanding domestic schedule, knowing they must find both belief and balance if they are to turn this playoff around.

Forest’s recent calendar has been intense, but it has also helped them grow into Pereira’s ideas. Domestic clashes such as the home meeting with Wolves and the tricky away test at Leeds have forced Nottingham to refine their pressing triggers and rotations in midfield, while the European night in Istanbul showed how dangerous they can be when they break quickly from a compact block. Those matches have also allowed key figures like Morgan Gibbs-White and Murillo to step into leadership roles, giving Forest a blend of youthful energy and tactical maturity that feels perfectly suited to knockout football.

For Fenerbahce, the narrative over the past couple of months has been about trying to translate their attacking talent into consistent results on multiple fronts. Recent trips like the one to Kocaelispor and the European journey to face FCSB underlined both their technical quality and their vulnerability when opponents press their build-up aggressively. In the first leg against Nottingham they created moments of danger but left too many spaces between the lines, something that will be ruthlessly exposed again if not corrected. With expectations high in Istanbul and the Europa League seen as a key stage for the club, this return match in England feels like a defining test of character.

All of that sets up a second leg where Nottingham can lean on control, while Fenerbahce are almost obliged to chase the game from the opening whistle. Forest’s comfort in a mid-block, their speed on the counter, and the confidence gained from recent fixtures—mirrored in previews like 3 : 0, 3 : 0, and Fenerbahce-focused outlooks such as 3 : 0—all point in one direction. With the crowd behind them and the tie already tilted their way, our preview leans towards Nottingham asserting themselves again and sealing qualification with another emphatic display, backing a confident 3 : 0 correct score on the ni