Nottingham Forest may be battling to stay in the Premier League this season, but their upcoming Europa League quarter-final first leg away to FC Porto offers Igor Jesus and his teammates a chance to shift focus from relegation concerns and pursue a first European trophy in 46 years.

Manager Vítor Pereira has appeared to prioritise the club’s top-flight survival, even rotating his squad during the Round of 16 penalty shoot-out victory over FC Midtjylland. However, the Europa League has arguably been the competition where Forest have looked most comfortable this campaign.

No player embodies that more than Igor Jesus, who joined from Botafogo in the summer. The 25-year-old has struggled for consistency in the league, scoring just three goals in 30 Premier League appearances, but he has thrived in Europe.

He currently sits among the Europa League’s top scorers with seven goals, showcasing his impact on Thursday nights.

“Reaching the final and winning the Europa League would be a dream come true—especially if I can do it as the top scorer,” Igor Jesus said in an interview with UEFA.

Igor Jesus has acknowledged that FC Porto will provide a significant challenge as Nottingham Forest prepare for their Europa League quarter-final tie.

“Porto have a very strong squad,” he said. “They possess a lot of quality, but we do as well. We know it won’t be an easy match—in fact, it will be extremely difficult—but we are ready to compete.”

The 2024 Copa Libertadores winner also stressed that Forest will approach the first leg at the Estádio do Dragão with full concentration, aiming to secure a positive result to carry into the return fixture.

Forest currently sit 16th in the Premier League, just three points above the relegation zone, while Porto are comfortably leading the Primeira Liga. Despite the contrast in domestic form, Forest can take confidence from their European record this season, having been the only side to defeat Porto in continental competition—earning a 2-0 home win on matchday three of the group stage, with goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus from the penalty spot.

Meanwhile, fellow Premier League side Aston Villa face a challenging quarter-final first leg away to Bologna FC 1909, the Coppa Italia winners.

With Unai Emery’s side having fallen away from the Premier League title race, the Europa League represents their most realistic opportunity to secure silverware this season. Emery, a proven specialist in the competition, has won the Europa League four times in his managerial career and has guided Villa to three consecutive quarter-final appearances across both the Europa League and Champions League.

Aston Villa captain John McGinn expressed the squad’s growing ambition after securing a place in the last eight with a 3-0 aggregate win over Lille OSC, stating that the team now “want more.”

He added that the key for Villa is to maintain focus and momentum: “We need to take it one game at a time and keep pushing all the way.”

Their quarter-final opponents, Bologna FC 1909, arrive with confidence after eliminating more-fancied opposition in AS Roma in the previous round. Speaking after their 5-4 aggregate victory, Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano acknowledged the challenge ahead but embraced the underdog role.

“We face Aston Villa again, a team we’ve played twice in the last two seasons—both times we lost,” he said. “We will be the underdogs again, but we will try to surprise once more.”

Elsewhere in the quarter-final first legs, Real Betis travel to face SC Braga, while SC Freiburg host Celta Vigo.

In the UEFA Europa Conference League, Crystal Palace’s home match against ACF Fiorentina stands out as the most notable fixture among the last-eight first legs, also scheduled for Thursday.