Sean Dyche will want to build on recent results when Nottingham Forest face Swedish side Malmo at the City Ground on Thursday.
Nottingham Forest will host Swedish side Malmo on the back of some confident results under Sean Dyche. The hosts demolished Premier League champions Liverpool in their own backyard on Saturday, and their manager will now be eager to capitalise on the momentum ahead of their Europa League encounter.
Forest have collected seven points from their last three Premier League games, and four from their last two in the UEFA Europa League. The latter results came through a win over FC Porto, but they dropped two points against Sturm Graz in the most recent European encounter.
Dyche’s men currently sit in the 23rd spot on the table, which may need improvement. Forest are technically only three points off ninth spot, something the manager would like to be near. Hence, a win in their next game is crucial, as Nottingham Forest host Malmo at the City Ground on Thursday night.
While the host are buzzing with confidence after recent results, Malmo may have to go back 18 days when they played their last competitive game of the season. They defeated GAIS with a 2-1 scoreline to conclude their Allsvenskan campaign, with the long gap between games likely to play its part in this upcoming clash in England.
Anes Mravac’s side are set to play their 12th ever encounter against English opposition, suffering nine defeats in their previous nine, which makes up for a terrible record. Incidentally, their only win over an English side came against Forest back in the first leg of a UEFA Cup first-round tie in 1995/96, but ended up bowing out on aggregate using the away goals rule.
As for the current Europa League campaign, Malmo are currently sitting in the 33rd spot, and they are in desperate need of a win, something they have not achieved in the four games so far. Their current objective may align with the task of at least climbing up the table and finishing in the top-24, but the task ahead in Nottingham will be a challenging prospect.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Sean Dyche still has to deal with a rather long list of players out injured, with Ola Aina, Douglas Luiz, and Chris Wood headlining the names. Dilane Bakwa, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Angus Gunn are the other players out of contention, while Taiwo Awoniyi, Omari Hutchinson and Jair Cunha are ineligible for the league phase clashes.
Yet, Dyche has a large enough squad to allow him to freshen up his ranks for this upcoming European clash, as there could be key changes. Goalkeeper John Victor is hoping for a start in the team, while Morato could come in for one of Nikola Milenkovic or Murillo.
Ryan Yates and James McAtee are also pushing to start in the midfield roles, with Callum Hudson-Odoi tipped to start on the left wing in this clash. Similarly, Dyche could use Arnaud Kalimuendo in the frontline in place of Igor Jesus, with the latter being a starter in Premier League games of late.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): John Victor; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Yates, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Kalimuendo
Malmo FF
Meanwhile, Malmo will assess their squad fitness before naming the ideal starting lineup for their crucial Europa League encounter. They are obviously missing Gentian Lajqi with an ACL injury, while Arnor Sigurdsson and Erik Botheim are all out of contention. Daniel Gudjohnsen is available for Malmo after a two-game suspension.
Lasse Berg Johnsen could also be assessed with a potential fitness issue, who has missed the last two games, but could potentially make the matchday squad. Should he miss out on a starting berth, the Malmo boss could use Otto Rosengren, Oscar Lewicki and Adrian Skogmar in his central midfield setup.
At the back, Melker Ellborg could retain his post between the sticks ahead of former Aston Villa and Premier League man Robin Olsen, while former Brentford defender Pontus Jansson will start alongside Andrej Duric at the heart of the defence for Malmo.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ellborg; Larsen, Jansson, Djuric, Busanello; Rosengren, Lewicki, Skogmar; Ekong, Haksabanovic, Bolin
Key Stats
- This will be Malmo’s 12th encounter with an English team, having lost nine of their last 11 so far.
- Malmo’s only win against an English side arrived back in the UEFA Cup first round tie in the 1995/96 season against Nottingham Forest.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last four home games across all competitions.
- Nottingham Forest have faced fewer shots (30) than any other side in this season’s UEFA Europa League, while Malmo FF have managed the fewest shots of any side (36) in this season’s competition.
- Nottingham Forest have kept a clean sheet in both of their UEFA Europa League matches under Sean Dyche so far. Since 2009/10, the only English manager to keep a clean sheet in each of his first three Europa League games is Alan Pardew in 2012/13 with Newcastle United.
Player to Watch
Morgan Gibbs-White
The attacking midfielder has had a terrible start to the season, but he has scored in his last three Premier League games and is currently one of Nottingham Forest’s most in-form stars. Sean Dyche will hope for Gibbs-White to keep improving his levels while allowing the team to flourish in an important part of their season.
With games coming thick and fast, Gibbs-White has a big opportunity to impress England boss Thomas Tuchel with some accomplished displays, while continuing to help Forest win games. The Englishman will be the player to watch, as Forest look for a revitalising win in the Europa League against Malmo.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 3-0 Malmo FF
Malmo are about to play a competitive game after 18 days without one, and they may feel a bit of rust heading to the City Ground. The visitors could find it tough against the English side, who are in top form at the moment, and the expected result here is a big loss.
Sean Dyche would want to take the momentum from Nottingham Forest’s win over Liverpool, and with a deep squad at his disposal, the hosts are set for a big win here. The three points will be crucial for the team to climb up the table, as this could be a very important victory for Forest.
