Nottingham Forest are making their return to Europe, over 29 years after their final look.
A Champions League spot had appeared a real chance for Forest at one stage final season below Nuno Espirito Santo, earlier than in the end ending seventh and incomes a Convention League place.
Nonetheless, they obtained their place within the Europa League after FA Cup winners Crystal Palace have been demoted to the Convention League by UEFA.
It has been all change since then for Forest, although, with Ange Postecoglou now within the dugout.
He masterminded Tottenham’s Europa League triumph final season, clinching their first trophy in 17 years.
Nonetheless, he was sacked simply over per week later, following Spurs’ Seventeenth-place end within the Premier League, and he’s nonetheless looking for a primary win in command of Forest.
Actual Betis, in the meantime, secured a sixth-place end in LaLiga final season to safe their place in Europe’s second-tier competitors, however might even have secured their berth via the Convention League. They reached the ultimate, solely to lose 4-1 to Chelsea within the showpiece.
And they’re going to show to be no pushovers, although Manuel Pellegrini’s facet should do with out dwelling benefit on Wednesday, with their floor at present present process renovations.
So, who will kick off their Europa League marketing campaign on a excessive at Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla? Right here, we delve into Opta knowledge to search out out.
Our @EuropaLeague marketing campaign begins in two days. pic.twitter.com/cc7SXWn7X2
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) September 22, 2025
What’s anticipated?
This would be the first-ever assembly between Betis and Forest in any competitors.
Nonetheless, they’ve beforehand confronted off in a pre-season pleasant, with Betis triumphing 1-0 again in July 2018, although that doesn’t give a lot to go on.
Betis have misplaced seven of their 9 earlier European video games towards English groups (W1 D1), together with their most up-to-date such sport, happening to a Cole Palmer-inspired Chelsea within the 2025 Convention League last.
As for Forest, their solely earlier assembly with a Spanish membership got here within the first spherical of the Festivals Cup again in 1961-61 after they misplaced 7-1 to Valencia.
It’s anticipated to be a good sport on Wednesday, with Forest the slim favourites to earn Postecoglou his first win on the helm, profitable 38.2% of the Opta supercomputer’s 10,000 pre-match simulations.
A Betis win is simply barely much less doubtless, coming in at 35.7%, so it seems possible that these sides will kick off the league part with a draw, which occurred 26.1% of the time.
For the event as a complete, Forest are thought of the third favourites to carry the trophy at 10%, behind Aston Villa and Roma. Betis are additionally given a slim outdoors probability, triumphing in 3% of the simulations.
Betis set to return out firing
Issues had began so nicely for Betis in Might’s Convention League last, as they took a ninth-minute lead towards Chelsea via Abde Ezzalzouli.
Nonetheless, their first European last led to heartbreak as they didn’t give you solutions for the Blues’ rampant second-half comeback.
Final season, they have been spearheaded by Isco, who registered 5 purpose involvements (two objectives, three assists) within the Convention League – his second-highest tally in a single marketing campaign in a serious European competitors.
They should navigate the beginning of this marketing campaign with out him, although, as he’s at present sidelined with a damaged leg.
Betis nonetheless have the instruments to harm Forest, although, with Giovanni Lo Celso stepping up in his absence with one purpose and two assists in LaLiga to date this season. He additionally leads the best way for possibilities created (15).
Cucho Hernandez can also be certain to show a risk within the field, having already netted twice since becoming a member of from Columbus Crew. No participant within the squad has bettered his 1.6 anticipated objectives (xG) or 21 pictures, although he has solely managed to get three heading in the right direction.
Pablo Fornals, against this, has a 28.6% shot conversion charge, having scored two objectives from seven makes an attempt.
Betis have already taken 9 factors from the 15 on provide in LaLiga this time period and are the joint-third highest scorers (9 objectives), with solely two groups within the division in a position to high their 9.1 xG.
Pellegrini might be hoping they will construct on dwelling benefit towards Forest – they’ve misplaced simply certainly one of their final 18 main European dwelling video games within the group/league stage (W11 D6).
Nonetheless, that was their final such match within the Europa League again in December 2023 towards Rangers (2-3), a end result they are going to be eager to keep away from repeating.
Can Postecoglou lastly rise up and operating?
Final season’s Europa League last marked Postecoglou’s penultimate match in command of Spurs, with the 1-0 win over Manchester United that earned them the trophy not sufficient to avoid wasting his job after a dismal Premier League marketing campaign.
His winless begin at Forest has stretched to a few video games and contains an EFL Cup third-round exit. The truth is, within the Premier League, the Australian is winless in his final 9 matches (D2 L7), his longest run and not using a league win as a top-flight supervisor.
However the Tough Timber are placing their stuttering league begin to the again of their minds forward of an eagerly anticipated return to the continent, with their final such sport a 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich in March 1996 in a UEFA Cup quarter-final.
Their hole of 10,781 days between video games is the longest by an England membership since Wolves went 14,232 days with out one between 1980 and 2019.
And Postecoglou might be determined to get off the mark in a contest that has served him so nicely up to now.
He has a 67% win ratio within the Europa League (P15 W10), the third-best behind Diego Simeone (81%, P26 W21) and Julen Lopetegui (69%, P16 W11), amongst managers with 15+ matches.
So typically final season, the important thing to Forest’s success lay of their defensive power, one thing they should rediscover in the event that they wish to start a prolonged run in European soccer.
Final time period, they stored 13 top-flight clear sheets, second solely to Liverpool’s 14, with Matz Sels clinching the Golden Glove (together with Arsenal’s David Raya) after his spectacular performances in purpose.
In 2025-26, although, it has been a unique story, with Forest certainly one of simply 4 Premier League sides but to maintain a shutout. Additionally they have the fifth-highest xG towards of seven.7, having conceded the fourth most objectives within the division (9).
Sels’ purpose has confronted 58 pictures in complete, with 45 of these coming from contained in the field, and Postecoglou will not be recognized for instilling defensive solidity, together with his Spurs facet conceding 64.3 xGA final season within the top-flight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Actual Betis – Antony
Antony has now joined Betis on a everlasting deal from Manchester United, having loved a vastly profitable mortgage spell in the course of the second half of final season, although he’s but to get off the mark since his return.
Between January 25 and the top of final season, he contributed 14 objectives in all competitions (9 objectives, 5 assists), together with two objectives in Betis’ Convention League semi-final conquer Fiorentina.
He managed as many purpose involvements as Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski in that interval, with solely six LaLiga gamers managing the next complete.
Nottingham Forest – Callum Hudson-Odoi
Forest might be with out club-record signing Omari Hutchinson, who was overlooked of the Europa League squad by Nuno, however they are going to nonetheless have loads of risk up high.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is Forest’s main probability creator within the Premier League this time period (seven, stage with Elliot Anderson), although he has solely generated 0.38 anticipated assists (xA) having didn’t arrange a purpose to date.
He has scored within the top-flight, netting in a 1-1 draw with Palace, with solely Chris Wooden (5) having extra pictures heading in the right direction than him (three).
