A repeat of one of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) league phase games sees Nottingham Forest welcome Midtjylland to the City Ground in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday night.
That finished 3-2 to the Danish side, who will also take confidence from the fact that they finished in third place in the league phase table in comparison to Forest in 13th – although the Tricky Trees did dispatch of Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate in the play-off round to reach this stage of the competition.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below using odds from bet365, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our free expert UEL predictions!
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Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland key stats
- Forest are winless in four games in all competitions (D1, L3).
- Midtjylland are unbeaten in six matches across all competitions (W4, D2).
- Both Teams To Score (BTTS) has come through in Forest's last three games.
Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland preview: Tricky Trees should expect another tough test
| Nottingham Forest | vs | Midtjylland |
|---|---|---|
| 17th | Position | 2nd |
| 28 | Points | 46 |
| 28 | Goals For | 58 |
| 43 | Goals Against | 23 |
| 6 | Clean Sheets | 8 |
| 16th | Home Rank | 1st |
| 13th | Away Rank | 2nd |
Given Forest's struggles in the Premier League this season, it is no surprise to see Midtjylland dominate these stats in their respective domestic leagues.
However, the strength of each division should be taken into account, with the English top flight much stronger than the Danish Superliga, while Midtjylland are also one of the strongest teams in the division in comparison.
Igor Jesus is the UEL's top scorer with seven goals.
However, the UEL league phase table shows that the Danes simply cannot be underestimated, as they mixed it with the bigger sides in Europe and finished in third place.
Their stats in their domestic league similarly reflect their performance in Europe too, as they were the joint-top scorers with 18 goals in just eight games, three more than the 15 that Forest managed.
Interestingly though, Midtjylland also conceded one more goal (eight) than Forest's seven, suggesting that the Danes are also slightly vulnerable defensively.
The Tricky Trees were also impressive in the play-offs, beating a big name in Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate, and with home advantage in the first leg, will still fancy their chances.
Midtjylland boasted the second-best goal difference of +10 in the league phase.
Taking all of this into account, this seems a close game to call, especially considering that Midtjylland only won by one goal in this respective fixture in the league phase.
Thus, we feel that the Danes could frustrate Forest again, but the hosts will be desperate to avoid defeat ahead of the second leg.
Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland form guide & betting tips
| Nottingham Forest | vs | Midtjylland |
|---|---|---|
| W-L-L-L-D | Form | W-W-W-D-D |
| 1 | Points | 7 |
| 19th | Form Table | 2nd |
| 4 | Goals For | 13 |
| 8 | Goals Against | 5 |
Best bookie to bet on Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland – bet365
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Whispers predicts: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Midtjylland
Again, the formbook shows that Forest have been struggling domestically, while Midtjylland have been flying.
However, the respective divisions must be taken into account, and so perhaps it is not a surprise to see the Tricky Trees installed as 11/20 favourites with bet365.
We fancy Midtjylland to get a positive result though like they did in the league phase, and they can be backed to either win or draw in a Double chance bet at 11/8.
Both teams have been among the highest scorers in the competition so far too, and so BTTS at 4/5 seems a safer bet.
It is hard to predict an exact score in what could be a high-scoring clash, but a 2-2 result would yield a big profit at 16/1.
> BTTS - Yes at 4/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> Double chance - Draw or Midtjylland at 11/8 | Likelihood: Possible
> Correct score - 2-2 at 16/1 | Likelihood: Outsider