Sean Dyche will want to build on recent results when Nottingham Forest face Swedish side Malmo at the City Ground on Thursday.

Nottingham Forest will host Swedish side Malmo on the back of some confident results under Sean Dyche. The hosts demolished Premier League champions Liverpool in their own backyard on Saturday, with the manager now eager to capitalise on the momentum ahead of their Europa League encounter.

Forest have collected seven points from their last three Premier League games, and four from their last two in the Europa League. The latter results came through a win over FC Porto, but they dropped two points against Sturm Graz in the most recent European encounter.

Dyche’s men currently sit in 23rd spot on the table, which may need improvement. Forest are technically only three points off ninth spot, something the manager would like to be near. Hence, a win in their next game is crucial, as Forest hosts Malmo at the City Ground on Thursday night.

While the host are buzzing with confidence after recent results, Malmo may have to go back 18 days when they played their last competitive game of the season. They defeated GAIS with a 2-1 scoreline to conclude their Allsvenskan campaign, with the long gap between games likely to play its part in this upcoming clash in England.

Anes Mravac’s side are set to play their 12th ever encounter against English opposition, suffering nine defeats in their previous nine, which makes up for a terrible record. Incidentally, their only win over an English side came against Forest back in the first leg of a UEFA Cup first-round tie in 1995-96, but ended up bowing out on aggregate using the away goals rule.

As for the current Europa League campaign, Malmo are currently sitting in the 33rd spot, and in desperate need of a win, something they have not achieved in the four games so far. Their current objective may align with the task of at least climbing up the table and finishing in the top-24, but the task ahead at Forest will be a challenging prospect.

Team News & Tactics

Nottingham Forest

Dyche still has to deal with a rather long list of players out injured, with Ola Aina, Douglas Luiz and Chris Wood headlining the names. Dilane Bakwa, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Angus Gunn are the other players out of contention, while Taiwo Awoniyi, Omari Hutchinson and Jair Cunha are ineligible for the league phase clashes.

Yet, Dyche has a large enough squad to allow him to freshen up his ranks for this upcoming European clash, as there could be key changes. Goalkeeper John Victor is hoping for a start in the team, while Morato could come in for one of Sergej Milinkovic or Murillo.

Ryan Yates and James McAtee are also pushing to start in the midfield roles, with Callum Hudson-Odoi tipped to start on the left wing in this clash. Similarly, Dyche could use the likes of Arnaud Kalimuendo in the front line in place of Igor Jesus, with the latter being a starter in Premier League games of late.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1) – Victor; Savona, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Yates, Sangare; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Kalimuendo

Malmo FF

Meanwhile, Malmo will assess their squad fitness before naming the ideal starting lineup for their crucial Europa League encounter. They are obviously missing Gentian Lajqi with an ACL injury, while Arnor Sigurdsson and Erik Botheim are all out of contention. Daniel Gudjohnsen is available for Malmo after a two-game suspension.

Lasse Berg Johnsen could also be assessed with a potential fitness issue, who has missed the last two games, but could potentially make the matchday squad. Should he miss out on a starting berth, the Malmo boss could use Otto Rosengren, Oscar Lweicki and Adrian Skogmar in his central midfield setup.

At the back, Melker Ellborg could retain his post between the sticks ahead of former Aston Villa and Premier League man Robin Olsen, while former Brentford defender Pontus Jansson will start alongside Andrej Duric in central defence for Malmo.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3) – Ellborg; Larsen, Jansson, Djuric, Busanello; Rosengren, Lewicki, Skogmar; Ekong, Haksabanovic, Bolin

Key Stats

• This will be Malmo’s 12th encounter with an English team, having lost 9 of their last 11 so far.
• Malmo’s only win against an English side arrived back in the UEFA Cup first round tie in the 1995-96 season against Nottingham Forest.
• Nottingham Forest, in 23rd spot, are only 3 points behind 9th-placed Real Betis.
• Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last 4 home games across all competitions.

Player to Watch

Morgan Gibbs-White

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The attacking midfielder has had a terrible start to the season, but he has scored in his last three Premier League games and is currently one of Forest’s most in-form stars. Dyche will hope for Gibbs-White to keep improving his levels while allowing the team to flourish in an important part of their season.

With games coming thick and fast, Gibbs-White has a big opportunity to impress England boss Thomas Tuchel with some accomplished displays, while continuing to help Forest win games. He will be the player to watch, as Forest look for a vitalising win in the Europa League against Malmo.

Prediction

Nottingham Forest 3-0 Malmo FF

Malmo are about to play a competitive game after 18 days without one, and may feel a bit of rust heading to the City Ground. The visitors could find it tough against the English side, who are in top form at the moment, and the expected result here is a big loss.

Dyche would want to take the momentum from Forest’s win over Liverpool, and with a deep squad at his disposal, the hosts are set for a big win here. The three points will be crucial for the team to climb up the table, as this could be a very important victory for Forest.