Overview
- Vítor Pereira was appointed on an 18‑month deal as Nottingham Forest’s fourth manager of the season and won his first game four days later in Istanbul.
- Murillo returned from injury to open the scoring from distance before Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs‑White added goals to seal a dominant first‑leg lead.
- Pereira made two changes for his debut, bringing in Murillo and Jesus, as Forest produced a far sharper display than in their recent domestic outings.
- Stefan Ortega started in goal after being added to Forest’s Europa League squad to replace the injured Matz Sels, who the manager says is not facing a long layoff.
- The second leg is on February 26 at the City Ground, with Real Betis or Midtjylland awaiting in the last 16, but Forest also host Liverpool on Sunday as they sit close to the relegation zone.