A big chance in the opening minute for Porto as Terem Moffi surges through and fires at Stefan Ortega, who parries away but only as far as Borja Sainz.

The Spaniard again tests the keeper but this time Ortega gathers.

Away we go in Italy, Portugal and south London.

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner speaking to TNT Sports: "The players played for their national team and everyone has had a good rhythm in training so hopefully everyone is ready. There was a good mood in the training ground this week. The preparation was really good.

On the importance of Dean Henderson, Daniel Munoz and Jean-Philippe Mateta starting: "It is important, they trained fully. Dean [Henderson] was just ill. When they are fit, of course they are starters but we have to manage starters. It's good to have many options and the players looked sharp during the week."

Crystal Palace and Fiorentina have just emerged onto the pitch and been welcomed by a lot, and I mean A LOT, of white tape akin to a load of loo roll.

There was so much of it blasting around in the wind that some got caught around the referee's head and the players were having to dodge it.

Very amusing.

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira speaking to TNT Sports: "Very happy to be here. It is an honour to be here. Today we'll watch a very good game for sure because they like to play and we like to play. Fantasic atmosphere. I believe a lot in our supporters and a lot in our team.

"In this moment of this season I believe that we need all of the players to play with intensity, to press in the proper moments, to play with dynamism and pace. This level demands a lot of energy."

On Wood's return: "In this moment of the season it is very important for us. He has the experience and know how to deal wiyh this kind of game, and he scores goals. I hope he can score today and help the team."

On Porto: "This is a city of football. The team is doing well which means the supporters and the team are connected. We come here to do our job, to play in our way. What I want to see from my team is to come here without fear, eye to eye, compete."

Martin Keown
Former Arsenal defender on TNT Sports

On the Forest line up:

I think he's [Pereira] showing his priority a little bit. He's going for both competitions but the weekend against Aston Villa is huge, the first of three home matches. They are in a good place right now.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter at the Estadio do Dragao

Just the two players start from Nottingham Forest's 3-0 win at Tottenham last month.

Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White remain with boss Vitor Pereira's eyes also on Sunday's visit of Aston Villa.

Forest - without the suspended Elliot Anderson this evening - still have a relegation battle to win and the team selection in Portugal shows Pereira is definitely trying to strike a balance between survival and European progress.

It is a delicate one and the starting line up will raise questions among Forest fans but whether it is the right call will only be known come the final whistle.

Porto - top of the league in Portugal and hunting their first title in four years - have made eight changes with boss Francesco Farioli in a similar position as he weighs up their priorities.

Aston Villa

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, speaking to TNT Sports: "Everybody is ready to play. It's going to be very important the starting XI and the players on the bench. I am confident with every player."

On if nights like this are still special given his previous success in the competition: "I am feeling so excited in this competition. At the beginning of the season, the message was enjoy each moment. Enjoy trying to share with our supporters the momentum we have, and then compete."

Scotland team-mates John McGinn and Lewis Ferguson will meet on opposing sides tonight.

Both players captain their respective sides and, although friends on the national team, will be battling each other in the middle of the park tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

John McGinn was on the scoresheet as Aston Villa booked their quarter-final place with victory over Lille in the last 16.

The Scot has scored nine goals in major European competition for Aston Villa, the joint-most of any player for the club along with Peter Withe.

A goal tonight would see him make that record his own.

The Villa captain has also scored in both of his side's recent victories against Bologna, winning 2-0 in the 2024-25 Champions League league phase and 1-0 in the current Europa League campaign.

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Wood's career-best goal haul last season underlined his importance to Forest.

They scored 58 league goals in the league - averaging 1.42 per game, with Wood providing 34.8% of them. This season, they have scored 31 times in 31 league games - a one goal per game average - with Wood scoring just twice on the opening day.

Since his arrival at the City Ground in January 2023, Forest have played 67 games in which Wood has started, winning 25 times, and 59 games in which he has not, winning 15 times.

Forest's win percentage with him starting is 37.3% with a points-per-game rate of 1.4, while it is 25.4% without him with a points-per-game of 1.0.

He returns with Forest fighting to reach a European semi-final for the first time in 42 years while they also battle for Premier League survival.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest went into the season aiming to win the Europa League.

That desire grew again under Ange Postecoglou - however briefly - as he looked to defend the title he won with Tottenham, telling the players the trophy was a stated aim.

So, with Forest in a European quarter-final for the first time in 30 years as they look to dispatch Porto, it stands to reason winning the competition is a goal - and a realistic one.

Yet, Vitor Pereira has to strike a fine balance between European progression and Premier League survival.

Forest are just three points above the drop zone with seven games left as they battle to stay up.

It would, perhaps, be a perfect snapshot of the season should Forest get relegated and win the Europa League - to play Champions League in the Championship - after four managers during a chaotic campaign.

Aston Villa or Bologna await in the semi-final, providing Forest get past Porto - who they beat 2-0 in the group phase in October.

Porto have other targets as well - top of the league, they are aiming to win the title for the first time in four years.

It could mean changes for the clash at the Estadio do Dragao - from both teams - as they look to protect themselves on all fronts.

Pereira - returning to Porto where he won two league titles - batted away questions about priorities during his pre-match news conference on Wednesday, but Forest's two ambitions remain in their grasp - survival and European glory.

Fiorentina have become a regular fixture in the Conference League, they reached the final in 2023 and 2024 but finished runners-up both times to West Ham and Olympiacos respectively.

Could this be the year when they finally get their hands on the trophy?

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace became the first English debutants in Europe to reach the quarter-finals since 1979 when they beat AEK Larnaca in the Round of 16 and this is their first return to action since that triumph.

“I think we managed the three weeks quite well for everyone,” Palace manager Glasner said.

“To be honest, for all the players, this was an incentive for qualifying for the quarter-finals – they had eight days off straight after the Larnaca game!"

Image source, Getty Images

David Jackson
BBC Radio Nottingham Sport reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It's fair to say the mood has changed in the last 21 days. There's more optimism. There's hope. There's also a feeling of togetherness, helped in part by an open training session held at the City Ground over the weekend which also allowed Vitor Pereira a chance to develop more of a relationship with supporters.

The club now embarks on a six-and-a-half-week spell that could, at one end of the scale, see Forest in both the Premier League and the Champions League next season.

At the other end, they could be in the Championship and needing a rebuild. They passed the test of that huge week against Midtjylland and Spurs. Now for more.

Read the full column on the BBC Sport Nottingham Forest page

What a glorious European away trip Porto is.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest needed penalties to get past Danish side Midtjylland in the last-16.

But that booked their place in a European quarter-final for the first time since 1996.

On that occasion, they lost to Bayern Munich in the then-Uefa Cup, now Europa League.

But this time around they are certainly one of the favourites to go all the way.

Can they put one foot in the semi-finals tonight? They haven't reached a European last four since the 1983-84 Uefa Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

Porto are one of three sides with a 100% home record in the Europa League this season, along with Aston Villa and Freiburg, winning all five games.

Only once have they won six home games in a European season, doing so in 2010-11 on their way to winning the Europa League.

They have, however, been eliminated in their last four European quarter-final ties since knocking out Spartak Moscow in the 2010-11 Europa League.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter at the Estadio do Dragao

There is a walk of fame in the arrivals tunnel at the Estadio do Dragao - which also doubles as the walk from the media room to the press box.

The team buses drive through to drop the squads off, with pictures of Porto's past successes covering the walls.

One, of course, is Jose Mourinho kissing the Champions League trophy having guided Porto to their greatest success in 2004.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Nottingham Forest have already faced Porto this season. That came in the league phase when Forest won 2-0.

That win came under Sean Dyche and much has changed since then with Vitor Pereira now in charge and Forest finding some good league form as they continue to try to avoid relegation.

Image source, Getty Images