Nottingham Forest — Porto : Match Preview and Prediction for October 23,2025

Nottingham Forest’s Recent Struggles and Managerial Change

The club’s patience wore thin after a string of poor results. Following their fourth consecutive 0-3 defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League, the club management acted swiftly, dismissing Ange Postecoglou, who had only been at the helm for just over a month.

The Road Ahead for Forest and Key Absences

Forest is set to appoint their third head coach just two months into the season. This new figure will be former Burnley and Everton boss Sean Dyche, known for implementing a distinctly different football philosophy compared to Ange Postecoglou. Dyche faces a challenging debut in the Europa League against Porto. Currently, the ‘Garibaldis’ have only managed one point from two matches, exhibiting a notably weak defense, having conceded five goals in the opening fixtures – a concerning tally. Key players Ola Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi, Jair, Angus Gunn, and Omari Hutchinson will be unavailable for the hosts against the ‘Dragons’.

Porto’s Resurgence Under Farioli

This season, Porto has been revitalized under the guidance of Francesco Farioli. Last year, Farioli surprisingly lost the Eredivisie title with Ajax at the season’s end, leading him to transition from the Netherlands to Portugal. Following a disappointing prior season (finishing 3rd with no realistic chance of improvement), the Italian has made an impressive start with his new squad, securing 10 victories in 11 matches.

Porto’s Strong Form and Player Absences

The ‘Dragons’ secured vital Europa League wins, including a 1-0 away victory against Salzburg and a narrow 2-1 home win over Crvena Zvezda. Before their trip to England, the blue and whites delivered a dominant 4-0 victory against Celoricense in the Portuguese Cup, featuring a hat-trick from Samu. This served as an excellent warm-up before facing Nottingham. For the match against Forest, the visitors will be without Luuk de Jong (who is prematurely ending his career due to a severe injury) and Nahuel Perez.