Nottingham Forest are hoping to take a big stride towards the knockout stage of the Europa League as they take on Sporting Braga in Portugal this week.
- Date: 22/01/2026
- Kick-off: 8:00pm
- Location: Estadio Municipal de Braga, Braga
The hosts, Braga, are currently seventh and Forest 11th in the Europa League ranking table. Both clubs come into the game from mixed domestic spells, with Braga sitting in mid‑table in Liga Portugal and Forest in the lower half of the Premier League.
Braga’s overall 2025-26 numbers show a side that is dangerous going forward but not always secure at the back. In Liga Portugal, they have seven wins, six draws and four defeats from 17 matches, scoring 26 and conceding 22, for an average of 1.53 goals scored and 1.29 conceded per game and a mean of just over 2.8 goals per match. Their home league record shows 1.7 goals scored and 1.2 conceded on average, with data indicating they have scored 13% fewer goals at home than xG models predicted but still maintaining a clear attacking edge over most visitors.
In the Europa League this season, Braga have been consistently entertaining. Across 20 matches (including qualifiers and group games), they have scored in 17 and failed to find the net only three times, registering 33 goals at an average of 1.7 per game. They also concede regularly enough to keep matches open, with 21 goals against in that same sample, an average of 1.1 per match, with seven clean sheets and 13 games in which they have allowed at least one goal. Their expected‑goals figures, xG for of 1.7 and xG against of 1.0 per Europa League game, underline that they usually create the better opportunities but allow enough at the other end for opponents to stay in contests.
Nottingham Forest arrive with a very similar European profile, despite coming from the more demanding environment of the Premier League. In the Europa League, Forest have scored 26 goals in 20 games, averaging 1.3 per match, with only seven outings where they have failed to score. They have conceded 26 goals in that same run, exactly 1.3 per match, keeping six clean sheets but allowing at least one goal in 13 games, giving a broadly symmetrical picture of a side that scores and concedes in equal measure. Their Europa League xG for sits at 1.6 per match, with xG against at 1.2.
Domestically, Forest’s season has been more of a grind. Their Premier League numbers show one of the weaker defensive records in the division, with 34 goals conceded in 21 matches and an average of 1.62 against per game, while scoring 21 at exactly one per match. Away from home in Europe, however, Forest have been relatively reliable in front of goal, with their goalscoring on the road is described as in line with predictive models, with an average of 1.3 goals scored and 1.0 conceded per away match in the current Europa League campaign.
Ultimately, this game looks primed to be a tight, cagey affair, with very little separating these teams on paper. Given Braga have home advantage, we expect these two sides to cancel each other out.
Sporting Braga 1-1 Nottingham Forest
