Nottingham Forest were contesting their first European fixture in nearly 30 years on Wednesday – and there was plenty to interest/worry Fantasy managers from the Tricky Trees’ camp.
Here are the main takeaways from Forest’s 2-2 draw with Real Betis.
- READ MORE: Tuesday’s EFL Cup notes pt1: Slot on Isak – can he start in Gameweek 6?
- READ MORE: Tuesday’s EFL Cup notes pt2: Tosin + Sanchez boost, Guiu ‘injury’ + no Pedro
- READ MORE: Tuesday’s EFL Cup notes pt3: Kevin injury + £4.9m midfielder scores four
RESULT
| Team | Opponent | Result | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottm Forest | Real Betis (a) | 2-2 draw | Jesus x2 | Gibbs-White, Luiz |
SELECTION/ROTATION
| Team | No. of starting XI changes made from GW5 | Players who kept their places (mins played) | Mins for other players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nottm Forest | 3 | Sels (90), Williams (90), Milenkovic (90), Morato (90), Zinchenko (90), Anderson (90), Gibbs-White (90), Luiz (45) | Sangare (82), Hudson-Odoi (64), Jesus (64), Bakwa (45), Kalimuendo (26), Ndoye (26), Yates (8), Boly (1) |
NO MURILLO AGAIN
Despite Ange Postecoglou saying on Saturday that Murillo (£5.4m) “should be okay” for Wednesday’s clash in Spain, the centre-half was nowhere to be seen.
Murillo indeed didn’t even travel with the squad.
If you missed his pre-match presser on Tuesday, Postecoglou offered mixed news: that Murillo had trained but that he was “still not comfortable”.
Had a message from @KurtisHeffernan that there was a report Ange had left Murillo at home.
Checked presser, sure enough Ange and his diagnosis of a knock that’ll be fine by next game is utter rubbish. pic.twitter.com/MvvO2qgkLS
— Baker343 (@BakerFPL343) September 24, 2025
We haven’t heard anything new on the Brazilian since the match against Betis.
MILENKOVIC INJURY FEARS EASED
Already without Murillo and longer-term absentee Ola Aina (£4.9m), the defender injury situation threatened to get worse for Forest in the dying embers of Wednesday’s match.
Nikola Milenkovic (£5.5m) hobbled off in the 94th minute in the Estadio La Cartuja, raising fears of a lay-off for him.
Good news, however: Postecoglou thinks it’s just cramp. Mind you, he also said Murillo would be back by now…
“I think it was just cramp with big Nikola.
“Hopefully, we haven’t got any injuries out of tonight but they’re going to be tired, for sure.” – Ange Postecoglou on Nikola Milenkovic
Forest did lose another of their starting XI to injury, with the impressive Douglas Luiz (£5.0m) taken off at half-time.
“He was feeling his hamstring a bit, so we had to take him off.” – Ange Postecoglou on Douglas Luiz
ANGE ON JESUS V WOOD
Injuries aside, the big takeaway from this match was another two-goal performance from Igor Jesus (£5.8m). He’d also bagged a brace in the EFL Cup last week.
Jesus started up front against Betis, getting through just over an hour before making way for Arnaud Kalimuendo (£6.0m). Chris Wood (£7.6m) remained unused.
It was a lively display from the young Brazilian, who racked up a game-high six shots. All of them came from inside the box, too.
Above: The location of Igor Jesus’ six shots v Real Betis, via WhoScored
First tapping in Morgan Gibbs-White‘s (£7.5m) low cross from point-blank range, he then demonstrated his underrated aerial ability by nodding in Luiz’s corner. His goal-poaching instincts were strong: aside from his brace, he couldn’t quite convert two other chances – one after some dazzling footwork from Elliot Anderson (£5.5m), the other after Callum Hudson-Odoi‘s (£6.0m) close-range effort hit the post – from inside the six-yard box.
“Yeah, he’s been great. Igor’s been great since he’s come in and it’s exciting. He’s still sort of learning how we want to play but he’s such a hard worker, he’s great in the box, he’s a good finisher, and I’m really pleased for him.” – Ange Postecoglou on Igor Jesus
If there is a glimmer of hope for the 19.4%-owned Wood ahead of Gameweek 6, it’s that Jesus was picked on Wednesday for his ability to “run beyond” the hosts’ defence. Sunderland, Forest’s next opponents in the league, will likely bring a lower block to the City Ground. Does that play more to Wood’s strengths, perhaps?
“I just felt it was going to be a good game for Igor. Nothing against Woody, it was just that having the ability to run beyond was going to help us. Igor has that, but he is also a good finisher. He has shown that already.
“He is such a willing worker but he has quality to back that up. He has settled in really quickly. I am pleased that he got his goals but we will still need Woody. He is a big part of this team.
“It was a better fit for Igor tonight, because I know how much space beyond you can get, if you work hard. I thought he got rewards for his hard work.” – Ange Postecoglou on his decision to start with Igor Jesus, quoted by the Nottingham Post
Even if he does start in Gameweek 6, Wood is now much more of a game-to-game minutes risk.
ANDERSON MORE ADVANCED
Looking better and better with every game, Anderson was arguably the star of the show in Sevilla.
He was used in a slightly different, more advanced role, as part of a 4-1-4-1 with Ibrahima Sangare (£5.0m) behind him.
Above image from BBC Sport
Racking up two shots and four chances created, the England international enjoyed the extra attacking license.
“I played a little bit higher up today, which is a little bit of a different role which I quite enjoy.” – Elliot Anderson
It may only be a tactic that Postecoglou uses in tougher matches, given that Gibbs-White was used a winger, but it demonstrates another string to Anderson’s bow beyond defensive contributions (DefCons).
THE ANGE-BALL EVOLUTION
Slowly but surely, we’re seeing signs of Forest becoming the team that Postecoglou wants them to be.
The first-half display was brilliant, with some slick, fast attacking play and chances galore. Forest outshot their hosts 16-9 over the entire game, while Sofascore had the xG at a comprehensive 0.49-3.27.
There’s still no clean sheet but aside from early and late goals from Cedric Bakambu and Antony, there weren’t too many big chances for the La Liga outfit.
“I thought our football was outstanding at times in the first half. The only thing I could fault is that we didn’t put the game to bed. We should have really finished them off in the first half. Second half, we sat off a little bit and had to defend but again, I never really felt threatened by Betis. I don’t think Matty Sels had too many saves to make.” – Ange Postecoglou
