Nottingham Forest have never won any of their three away matches in Spain, beaten by Valencia in 1961 and 1980, while holding Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in the Super Cup second leg 45 years ago.
Real Betis have lost all three of their encounters with English opposition in the last two decades, including being demolished 4-1 by Chelsea in last year's Conference League Final in Wrocław.
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest preview
Nottingham Forest are back in Europe, so will this the start of the road to İstanbul for the final on 20 May? Under the legendary Brian Clough, Forest won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, but have not featured in any UEFA competition since losing 7-2 to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals of 1995/96. Now though, they're back, and fair to say supporters are excited.
Given the job he did, many would argue that Nuno Espírito Santo is the club's best manager since Clough, but he was sacked earlier this month, following a falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis. Well, successor Ange Postecoglou is still yet to oversee a victory in three attempts, held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley on Saturday, despite taking a very early lead through Neco Williams. Before this, the Tricky Trees had been demolished 3-0 by Arsenal, before a complete collapse at Swansea, 2-0 up and cruising, only to concede twice in injury time as they were beaten 3-2 in an EFL Cup tie.
Turning their attention to the Europa League, after this trip to Seville, Forest will also travel to Sturm Graz, Utrecht and Braga, while they'll welcome Midtjylland, Porto, Malmö and Ferencváros to the City Ground. Only four men have won the UEFA Cup/Europa League with two different clubs, namely Giovanni Trapattoni, Rafa Benítez, José Mourinho and Unai Emery, but no one has ever achieved this in back-to-back seasons, a unique achievement Postecoglou is chasing, starting here.
This though will be one of Forest's toughest tests of the league phase, because hosts Real Betis boast plenty of recent European pedigree. Los Verdiblancos have reached the knockout stages of a UEFA competition in each of the last four seasons, featuring in May's Conference League Final, their first-ever European final, before ultimately being swatted aside 4-1 by Chelsea in Wrocław. Led by Manuel Pellegrini, who has been in charge since 2020, they're among the favourites to go all the way.
To start this season, Betis have collected nine points from six La Liga matches, their sole defeat coming against Athletic Club last month. On Friday night, Cucho Hernández and Pablo Fornals were both on target as Béticos beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at home. This match, as was the case for that one, will take place at Estadio de la Cartuja, Betis' temporary home for the season, while their stadium the Benito Villamarín undergoes renovations. Thus, around 70,000 spectators are expected to be in attendance to see two of the Europa League favourites, but who will pick up three points?
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest head-to-head record
These two clubs have never previously met.
Real Betis team news
Manuel Pellegrini is without talisman Isco, who suffered a fractured left fibula during pre-season, which is a massive blow, but this squad still features plenty of familiar faces.
Giovani Lo Celso and Pablo Fornals, formerly of Spurs and West Ham, will seek to fill the creative void, while ex-Arsenal right-back Héctor Bellerín captained the side against Real Sociedad on Friday.
Junior Firpo and Sofyan Amrabat have also previously featured in England's top-flight, while keep an eye out for Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, known as Abde, formerly of Barcelona, who scored in the Conference League Final against Chelsea, and will be a key attacking threat here too.
Real Betis predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest: (4-3-3): López; Bellerín, Natan, Bartra, Firpo; Amrabat, Fornals, Lo Celso; Antony, Abde, Hernández.
Real Betis player to watch vs Nottingham Forest
Antony will not be remembered fondly at Old Trafford, considering he scored just 12 goals in 96 appearances for Manchester United, having arrived for €95 million from Ajax.
However, the Brazilian international is worshiped at Betis, scoring nine times on loan last season before his move was made permanent, so they'll look to him to produce a big moment here.
Nottingham Forest team news
Ange Postecoglou is without right-back Ola Aina long-term, while neither Oleksandr Zinchenko nor Omari Hutchinson were included in the UEFA squad, a decision made before his appointment.
The Ukrainian international started at left-back at Turf Moor on Saturday, but Neco Williams is expected to do so here, with Nicolò Savona returning on the right. New signings Douglas Luiz and Dilane Bakwa also started against Burnley, but Callum Hudson-Odoi could come in for the latter. Lastly, star centre-back Muillo has missed the last two matches, but could be fit for this one.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Real Betis: (4-3-3): Sels; Savona, Murillo, Milenković, Williams; Douglas Luiz, Anderson, Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Nottingham Forest player to watch vs Real Betis
Chris Wood scored 20 Premier League goals last season while, during his time at Burnley, he scored against both Aberdeen and Olympiacos in the Europa League, so can he open his European account for Forest in Seville?
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest prediction
We cannot seperate these two sides, hence why we're sitting on the fence and forecasting a draw, although the clash at the Cartuja could easily go either-way: Real Betis 1-1 Nottingham Forest.
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest FAQs - UEFA Europa League
How to watch Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest in the Europa League on TV channel?
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest in the Europa League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1.
- USA: CBS Sports Network, Paramount+ & fuboTV
- Canada: DAZN Canada
How to watch Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest in the Europa League on live streaming?
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest in the Europa League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest in the Europa League?
Real Betis vs Nottingham Forest takes place on Wednesday 24 September 2025, with kick off at 20:00 (BST), 15:00 (EDT) & 12:00 (PDT).