Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe: İLK 11'LER BELLİ OLDU, TSİ 23.00'TE City Ground'da
The starting lineups for Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe have been confirmed ahead of the UEFA Europa League play-off return at the City Ground, kicking off at 23. 00 TSİ. The selections and a long injury list leave Fenerbahçe facing a steep challenge: the team must overturn a heavy first-leg deficit to keep European hopes alive.
Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe: Starting XIs and tactical choices
Coaching decisions and availability shaped both sides' lineups. Fenerbahçe's eleven includes Tarık, Mert, Guendouzi, Yiğit Efe, Brown, İsmail, Oğuz, Kante, Nene, Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Cherif. Nottingham Forest will start Ortega, Cunha, Morato, Murillo, Hutchinson, Yates, Anderson, Williams, Dominguez, Mcatee and Lucca.
- Fenerbahçe tactical notes: Guendouzi is set to slot into a three-man defensive unit alongside Yiğit Efe and Mert Müldür. Nene is deployed as a wing-back. Coaching staff judged that Semedo, Levent and Asensio could be at risk if used beyond 60 minutes, influencing selection.
- Match officials and venue: The game will be refereed by Maurizio Mariani and played at the City Ground.
Fenerbahçe availability crisis and bench structure
Fenerbahçe travels to England with notable absences. Several first-team players are unavailable: Alvarez, Skriniar, Oosterwolde, Çağlar, Ederson and Talisca are out. Fred is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, while Mert Günok and Musaba are not listed for UEFA duty. The club made up part of the matchday squad by including two goalkeepers from the U19 setup—Engin Can Biterge and Hulusi Efe Ceylan—and promoting youth players Kamil Efe Üregen and Alaettin Ekici to the traveling group. Overall, the squad reached England missing nine players from the regular roster.
What Fenerbahçe needs to progress
With the first leg finished at a three-goal deficit for Fenerbahçe, the mathematical scenarios are sharp and straightforward. A win by four or more goals would send Fenerbahçe directly through to the last 16. A three-goal victory would force extra time, and if the tie remains level after extra time it would be decided by a penalty shootout. Any other victory margin shorter than three goals, a draw, or a loss would see the English side progress.
Should Fenerbahçe advance, potential opponents mentioned for the next round include Midtjylland and Real Betis; the exact opponent will be finalised by the draw process.
Context and wider indicators
Squad value figures underline the scale of the challenge. Fenerbahçe's squad value is listed at 236. 50 million euros while Nottingham Forest's total is 591. 60 million euros. Within those figures, Matteo Guendouzi is highlighted as the most valuable Fenerbahçe player at 28 million euros, and Nottingham Forest's notable valuation is 65 million euros for one of their key players.
Matchday mood centers on recovery and pragmatism. Coaching staff acknowledged that the opening leg had been difficult, that a new coach and limited energy affected performance, and that changes were necessary to give the team the best chance tonight. The system chosen reflects the available personnel and the need to balance risk with the urgent requirement to overturn the deficit.
Kickoff is set for 23. 00 TSİ at the City Ground and the game will be shown live on national television. The lineups, tactical tweaks and the high-stakes progression scenarios ensure all attention will be on Nottingham Forest - Fenerbahçe: the result will decide whether Fenerbahçe's European campaign continues or ends at the play-off stage. Recent updates indicate squad and lineup information may still evolve ahead of kick-off.
