Nottingham Forest will be looking to win back-to-back Europa League games when they travel to Austria to face Sturm Graz at the Merkur Arena on Thursday night.
The two teams meet for the first time since their only previous encounter back in March 1984 when the Tricky Trees claimed a 2-1 aggregate victory in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup
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Sean Dyche has made it crystal clear that he intends to implement ‘effective’ football as opposed to ‘fashionable’ football at new club Nottingham Forest. His approach certainly paid off on his debut in the dugout a fortnight ago, as the Tricky Trees beat Portuguese giants Porto 2-0 at the City Ground to claim their first European win in 30 years.
Since then, Forest have picked up just one point across their last two Premier League matches under Dyche, with a 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth followed by a 2-2 home draw with Manchester United last weekend, leaving them without a top-flight win in nine matches (D3 L6) and sitting 19th in the table.
While the prospect of Premier League relegation looms for Forest – albeit at an early stage in the season – they find themselves sitting 17th in the 36-team Europa League table after winning, drawing and losing one game each across their opening three matches in the League Phase, and a victory on Thursday could see them climb into the top eight if other results also go their way.
Forest travel to Austria seeking to end a seven-match winless run on the road in all tournaments (D3 L4) and they will also be looking to improve their overall defensive record, having kept just one clean sheet (against Porto) in their last 23 matches since the beginning of April.
The Tricky Trees were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw with Real Betis in their first Europa League away match of the season on matchday one; Igor Jesus scored two first-half goals, but Antony netted in the 85th-minute to salvage a point for the Spanish side
After retaining their Austrian Bundesliga title last season, Sturm Graz have since experienced an inconsistent start to their domestic campaign, winning seven and losing four of their opening 11 matches, but they only sit three points behind leaders Red Bull Salzburg with a game in hand.
Die Schwoazn would already be sitting pretty at the summit had they not lost their last two league matches against Wolfsberger (3-1) and Rapid Wien (2-1), suffering defeat away against the latter on Sunday despite boasting a half-time lead.
In the Europa League, Sturm Graz have collected just three points from a possible nine available in the League Phase, with a 2-1 home win over Rangers taking place between defeats to Midtjylland (2-0) – who also beat Forest this term – and Celtic (2-1), leaving term 27th in the 36-team table but only one point behind the Tricky Trees.
Head coach Jurgen Saumel has taken positives from Sturm Graz’s “courageous performance” against Celtic two weeks ago and has reminded his players that “small details are crucial” if they wish to compete at this level and qualify for the Europa League knockout rounds for the very first time.
Sturm Graz are now gearing up for their ninth encounter with English opposition, and in their previous eight they have only come out on top once (D1 L6), beating Arsenal 1-0 on home soil in the first leg of a second-round tie in the 1970-71 Fairs Cup, before losing 2-1 on aggregate.
Sturm Graz Europa League form:
L W L
Sturm Graz form (all competitions):
W W L L W L
Nottingham Forest Europa League form:
D L W
Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):
L L L W L D
Sturm Graz duo Max Johnston and Belmin Beganovic are both ruled out with respective hamstring and ankle injuries, while Alexandar Borkovic is ineligible after being left out of the club’s Europa League squad.
Tochi Chukwuani is suspended after he was sent off against Celtic on matchday three, so either Filip Rozga or Julius Beck could deputise in midfield alongside Jon Gorenc Stankovic, Tomi Horvat and top scorer Otar Kiteishvili, who has eight goals to his name in all competitions.
As for Nottingham Forest, Douglas Luiz was forced off early in the first half against Man United with a hamstring injury and he looks set to join Ola Aina (hamstring), Dilane Bakwa (unspecified), Chris Wood (knee) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (groin) in the treatment room.
Meanwhile, Taiwo Awoniyi, Omari Hutchinson, Jair Cunha and Angus Gunn are also unavailable for selection as they have all been left out of the club’s Europa League squad.
Dyche will weigh up whether to recall captain Ryan Yates or Ibrahim Sangare to start in centre-midfield alongside Elliot Anderson in the absence of Luiz, while Morgan Gibbs-White – who has scored two goals for Forest since the arrival of Dyche – is set to operate in an advanced central role in behind central striker Igor Jesus.
Sturm Graz possible starting lineup:
Bignetti; Oermann, Aiwu, Lavalee, Karic; Stankovic; Horvat, Rozga; Kiteishvili; Malone, Jatta
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Savona, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Anderson, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
