Overview
After more than 29 years since their last appearance in a major tournament on the old continent, Nottingham Forest will start the UEFA Europa League 2025-2026 campaign with a trip to Real Betis.
The Andalusia team reached the UEFA Conference League final last season but lost 1-4 to Chelsea with the inspiration of Cole Palmer. In fact, that is also the playground Forest have played for this season, after finishing seventh in the Premier League.
However, instead of participating in the Conference League, Nottingham Forest was promoted to the Europa League after Crystal Palace - FA Cup champions - were relegated to the Conference League by UEFA due to regulations on multi- club ownership.
Although there was a time when last season there were high hopes of breaking into the top 5 of the Premier League, qualifying for any continental competition was a significant achievement for Forest under coach Nuno Espirito Santo. In just one season, the team has risen from the relegation zone to return to the European arena for the first time since 1990.
Forest's 10,781 days apart in a major European competition is a record for an English side since Wolves spent 14,232 days out (1980-2019). It was Nuno who brought them back to Europe.
However, Nuno was sacked in early September after disagreements with the club's board, and his successor, Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian captain has a history in the Europa League. Despite leaving Tottenham with a bad Premier League season, he still managed to get Spurs promoted to the Europa League championship after a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the final. The only goal was scored by Brennan Johnson - a former Forest player.
The European title was not enough for Postecoglou to keep his job. However, he still kept his promise to always win the title in his second season at the club. Postecoglou currently has a 67% win rate in the Europa League (15 matches, 10 wins), behind only Diego Simeone (81%, 21/26) and Julen Lopetegui (69%, 11/16) among coaches with 15 or more matches.
Forest's upcoming opponent, Real Betis, is not an easy team to bully. The La Liga side have lost just one of their last 18 home games in the group stage and knockout round of European competition (W11 D6). That only loss came against Rangers in the Europa League group stage in December 2023.
Under the leadership of Manuel Pellegrini, Betis finished sixth in La Liga and advanced deep in the Conference League in the 2024-2025 season. They beat Fiorentina in the semi-finals with a total score of 4-3, in which Antony (borrowed from Man United) scored a double.
In La Liga this season, Betis has won 9/15 maximum points and is currently ranked sixth. They are the third top scorer (9 goals), behind only Barcelona (16), Real Madrid (10) and Villarreal (10).
In terms of expected goals (xG), only the above 3 teams have outstanding achievements over Betis' figure 9.1. That shows that Nottingham Forest's defense will have to do their best to prevent dangerous spearheads from the Andalusia team.
Last season, Forest kept a clean sheet in 13 Premier League games, only behind Liverpool (14). But this season, they are in the group of 4 teams that have not once maintained their net.
In fact, only Brentford (10), Wolves (6) and West Ham (3) have conceded more goals than Forest (9). Ange Postecoglou's side are also fifth in the expected goals conceded (xGA) at 7.7.
Last season, Postecoglou's Tottenham conceded 64.3 expected goals (xGA) - the worst record among teams not relegated. Obviously, he is not a coach famous for his solidity in defense.
Therefore, Nottingham Forest will likely prioritize making their mark with their attacking play, where they have many quality options.
Head-to-head record
In the history of European competitions, the only time Nottingham Forest have met a Spanish representative was in the first round of the 2016-1962 Fairs Cup, when they lost 1-7 to Valencia.
The upcoming match will also mark the first time Forest face Real Betis. Notably, Betis have lost 7 out of 9 meetings with English teams in the European Cup (won 1, drew 1). Their most recent defeat was the 2025 UEFA Conference League final against Chelsea.
Score prediction: Real Betis 1-1 Nottingham Forest
The match between Real Betis and Nottingham Forest takes place at 2:00 am on September 25 (Vietnam time).
