Nottingham Forest Tests Against Vitória de Guimarães in Portugal Training Camp Clash

Nottingham Forest and Vitória de Guimarães meet in a behind-closed-doors pre-season fixture on Sunday, with both teams carrying unbeaten records into the match. Forest has secured two consecutive victories without conceding, while Vitória has won four straight matches and scored 13 goals during their summer campaign. The encounter takes place at Estadio de Nora as part of Forest's 12-day training camp in the Algarve region.

Forest's Preparation Under New Management

Nottingham Forest enters the fixture under Oliver Glasner, who has become the club's fifth permanent manager in 12 months. Glasner's tenure began with a 2-0 victory over Notts County, followed by a 3-0 triumph against Blackburn Rovers in the same Portuguese location. Forest has not conceded a goal across these two matches, demonstrating defensive solidity in their early preparations.

The Forest squad faces multiple injury absences heading into the Vitória encounter. Murillo, Ola Aina, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Nicolò Savona remain unavailable due to fitness concerns, requiring Glasner to rotate his starting eleven as part of his broader squad-building strategy. Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo have each scored twice during the pre-season campaign, indicating promising attacking contributions ahead of the Premier League season.

Vitória's Attacking Threat

Vitória de Guimarães finished ninth in the Portuguese Primeira Liga last season with 42 points, accumulating 28 of those points from 17 home matches. The Portuguese side's pre-season campaign has been considerably more prolific, with victories against Felgueiras, Penafiel, Académica, and Al-Ahli yielding 13 goals. Manager Tiago Margarido oversees a squad missing Telmo Arcanjo and Gui through injury, yet the team's momentum remains strong entering the Forest fixture.

This represents the first formal pre-season encounter between the two clubs. Forest will deploy a defensive approach tested across their opening matches, while Vitória seeks to maintain their attacking rhythm following their four consecutive victories. The closed-door arrangement means the fixture will be available only through official streaming platforms, with no spectators present at the venue.