Nottingham Forest’s Vito Pereira era begins today with a high-stakes trip to Istanbul, where The Whole Tree face Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the first leg of the Europa League play-offs at the Suklu Sarakolu Stadium.
Following his appointment on Sunday, Pereira becomes the fourth permanent manager at Manchester City Stadium this season, setting a new Premier League record. He replaces Sean Dyche, who was sacked last week despite Forest’s fruitful campaign in Europe, scoring 15 goals in eight games – the highest tally on the continent since 1978-79.
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Although the Reds finished 13th in the league stage, they missed out on automatic promotion by just two points. Fenerbahce, meanwhile, are in strong form under Domenico Tedesco and have won four consecutive domestic games. The “Golden Canaries”, ranked 19th in the league, will rely on a hostile home atmosphere, having never lost consecutive home games in European competitions.
Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest – match preview and team news
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Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026
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Match Venue: Sucru Saraklu Stadium, Istanbul
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Referee: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland)
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VAR: Lucas Farndridge (SUI)
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Last meeting: first competitive meeting
Team News
Fenerbahce
The hosts have significantly strengthened their squad with the January signings of N’Golo Kante and Matteo Guendouzi, both of whom are expected to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It is worth noting that the home team received a game-high 33 yellow cards in just 8 games. Andersen Talisca and Kerem Akturkoglu remain their main goal threats, although Fenerbahce have won just one of their last nine games against English opponents. Archie Brown, Abdel Farr and Emre Moore remain sidelined.
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nottingham forest
Vito Pereira has had to contend with a long injury list that includes Chris Wood (knee), Willy Boly (knee) and goalkeeper Mats Sayles (groin). Murillo will face a late fitness test, while Elliott Anderson is expected to start despite disciplinary issues. The front line will be led by forward Igor Jesus, who has equaled a club record with six goals in the Europa League this season. It is worth noting that one more goal would set a new personal record for a Forest player in a major European season. New signing Lorenzo Luca may also make his debut as a substitute.
form
Fenerbahce
The “Golden Canaries” turned around the situation in the domestic competition and achieved four consecutive victories in this competition. Notably, they are looking to break the ‘English hoodoo’ which has seen them win just once in their last nine attempts against Premier League sides. Despite disciplinary issues, Fenerbahce’s new midfield of Kante and Guendouzi aims to control the midfield and protect a backline that concedes an average of 1.4 goals per game.
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nottingham forest
The Reds arrive in Istanbul on the back of two consecutive domestic wins, although their latest overall record has been just three wins in 13 games. Notably, Pereira has a history of making an instant impact, having won his first game in each of his last seven coaching posts. Forest’s continental quality is their saving grace as they have consistently exceeded expectations on away goals (xG) this season. Stabilizing the defense without Boly and Sayles will be the new coach’s top priority tonight.
Predicted lineup
Fenerbahce predicted eleven: Ederson; Semedo, Skriniar, Ostervold, Mardur; Kante, Guendouzi; Nene, Asensio, Akturkoglu; Talisca
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Nottingham Forest predicted XI: Gunn; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Anderson, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
How to watch Fenerbahce vs Nottingham Forest match?
The match will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports 3 at 17:00 GMT. Subscribers can also stream actions through discovery+.
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