Some will argue the winner of this tie has a solid chance of going all the way, but who wins the first leg? We'll find out on Friday, April 9 (KO 06:00 AEST)...

Quick Picks

Our pick: Porto to win

Value bet: 'Yes' in the BTTS

Long shot: Jesus to score anytime

Betting Preview

Led by Francesco Farioli, Porto finished fifth in the League Phase, winning five of their eight games (2D, 1L).

They scored 13 goals and conceded seven, suggesting that they did enough to "get the job done" and not much more.

Still, that's what wins games.

In the Round of 16, they did exactly that against potential tricky opponents in VfB Stuttgart.

They won 2-1 on the road before winning 2-0 at home to advance 4-1 on aggregate.

By contrast, Nottingham Forest haven't had the easiest of tournaments.

On their fourth manager of the season, Vitor Pereira (a former Porto manager) is the latest to have taken a game in this year's competition.

He helped them reach the quarter-finals after securing a 3-0 penalty win against FC Midtjylland after the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate.

Before that, the Premier League side would finish 13th in the Group Phase, winning four of their games (2D, 2L).

The play-off round would require them to overcome Fenerbahce, which they managed with a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Betting Markets to Watch

Igor Jesus will be a player to keep a close eye on in this game, as he co-leads the goalscoring leaderboard with seven goals.

The Forest striker appears to have taken a liking to this competition, with those goals coming across 11 games.

In the Premier League betting guide, he has just three in 30 appearances.

This makes him good value as an anytime goalscorer.

Porto are listed favourites and offer good value to win this game.

They have won each of their last five Europa League betting home matches, while Forest have a 1-0 defeat in Portugal already this season (Braga).

Still, the English side beat Porto in England in MW3.

However, they have good form when on the road, which is why we think there's value in the 'Over 2.5 goals' market.

It has hit in four of Nottingham Forest's last five Europa League matches, and three of Porto's last five.

By extension, we think this means there's value in the BTTS hitting. Both don't appear to have trouble scoring in this competition.

Porto have been shut out just once (2-0 loss at Forest), while Forest have improved considerably in the knockouts and have five away goals in two games.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Porto vs Nottingham Forest betting odds at Sportsbet.

We think the most likely winners will be Porto in this match, as they've been strong at home.

Despite Forest's recent resurgence, the five straight home wins will give Porto an edge that they should manage.

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