Dragons meet Tricky Trees in a clash of heritage and chaos

Welcome to the Europa League, where FC Porto wonders what they did to deserve this and Nottingham Forest is just glad to be on a plane that isn't headed to a relegation scrap. It is a meeting between a side that treats European silverware like essential groceries and a club that has two stars on their shirt from the late 70s but spent most of the last two decades wondering how to win at Blackpool.

Porto remains the ultimate gatekeeper of European respectability. They are street-smart, annoying to play against, and likely possess three wingers you have never heard of who will be sold for 60 million euros by July. While the Portuguese giants are typically found deep in the knockout rounds of the big competition, they won't mind bullying a Forest side that is currently 16th in the Premier League and clinging to 33 points with white-knuckled desperation.

For Forest, this is the ultimate "why not" fixture. Nuno Espirito Santo returns to the Dragao, a place where he is remembered with the kind of lukewarm shrug usually reserved for a decaf latte. He knows the walls, but he also knows his defense has the structural integrity of a wet biscuit. If Chris Wood doesn’t get a cross delivered directly onto his forehead, Forest might struggle to even cross the halfway line without getting bullied by Porto's midfield ENFORCERS.

The Dragons play with a level of cynical efficiency that Forest simply hasn't mastered yet. While the Tricky Trees will bring plenty of passion and a few thousand fans who have been drinking since Tuesday, Porto brings a SYSTEM. And in Europe, the system usually wins. Forest will huff, they will puff, and then they will probably concede a silly goal from a set-piece because they forgot how to mark. Expect the ARCHITECTS in Porto's midfield to pick them apart.

Prediction: FC Porto 3-1 Nottingham Forest