Forest is Embracing 'Magical and Special' Europa League Adventure, Says Yates
Nottingham Forest is in the midst of their first UEFA Europa League campaign in about 30 years. They last played in Europe during the 1995-96 season and faced relegation three times in the 1990s, with the final coming in 1999.
It wouldn’t be for another two-plus decades that they’d make it back to the Premier League in 2022. After spending a few seasons simply avoiding relegation again, they’re climbing the mountain again in what Ryan Yates is calling a “magical and special” European journey in 2026.
Quarter-final Result Sparks Belief
Yates referred to the current run they’re on as such after a 1-1 draw against Porto, one of the heavyweights. This was the first time Porto didn’t win at home in the Europa League this season, and this was also the first time Porto didn’t win at home when scoring first since October 2019.
"We will take it, going back to the City Ground with everything to play for," Yates said after the 1-1 draw. "It's going to be a good game.
"It was a fair result in the end. I think we could have played better, there are things to improve upon. But they have won every game here all season in the Europa League, so it can't be too bad.
"There's something special about European games at the City Ground. It's magical, the support is incredible. This journey we are on in Europe is special and, as you can see, they [the fans] are enjoying it and so are we,” he finished.
Manager Vitor Pereira also commented on the match:
"A good result, in my opinion. Porto, playing at home, are a strong team. They have momentum with supporters, so I think we did well.
"The players tried everything and 1-1 is a good result. Playing at home, we will see what we can do."
What could they do, you might ask? They beat Porto in the Quarter-final on April 16, 1-0, thanks to a first-half goal from Morgan Gibbs-White.
Upcoming Semi-final and Continued Momentum
Now, they’re in the Semi-final for the first time in more than four decades. In the Semi-final, they’ll take on Aston Villa, a Premier League rival. They drew 1-1 on April 12 and lost 3-1 on January 3, 2026.
In their last UEFA competition, some 30 years ago, they were eliminated in a 2-7 aggregate quarter-final defeat to the eventual winners, Bayern München.
Now in the Semi-finals, this is their first trip here since they lost 2-3 on aggregate to Anderlecht.
Heading into the Semi-finals, Nottingham Forest has lost only three of their last 12 European League matches, with seven wins and two draws.
Heading into the Semi-final, Nottingham Forest isn’t only coming off the 1-0 win over Porto, but they’re heading into it with a lot of momentum, with a 4-1 win over Burnley and a 5-0 win over Sunderland in the Premier League.
“We have created a spirit, the true spirit of a team, because when we do the subs and when we are celebrating on the bench, we feel that the players want to help the team. We are a family and we are fighting together with our supporters,” Pereira said after the team’s 5-0 rout of Sunderland.
“In my mind, we didn’t come here to draw the game. We came here to get the three points because we need more than them and if we need more than them, we need to prove on the pitch that we deserve the three points. We did everything,” Pereira added.
As Nottingham Forest fights off relegation in the Premier League, they’re +330 to win the Europa League while their upcoming opponent, Aston Villa, is -110 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
