Nottingham Forest will have one major concern about playing Real Betis in the Europa League

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Ange Postecoglou is set to take charge of Nottingham Forest’s first European match in three decades when they travel to face Real Betis.

The Tricky Trees are one of the favourites for the Europa League, and they’ll no doubt want to kickstart their campaign with a win.

Ange Postecoglou will also be desperate to finally get a victory as Nottingham Forest head coach, after a tough start to life at the City Ground.

However, the Garibaldi will have one worry about facing their Spanish opposition, and that comes down to how effective they are in one area.

Real Betis are one of the best counterattacking sides in Europe

Ange Postecoglou plays a high-tempo style of play that focuses more on attack than it does on defending.

That is not to say that the 60-year-old completely neglects that side of football, but his philosophy can bring up issues in his side’s own half.

Forest fans are already expressing a concern, and when it comes to playing Real Betis, that could be exacerbated.

According to Data.MB, Real Betis are one of the best counterattacking teams in the top seven leagues.

The Seville-based club are ranked in the 96th percentile (top 4%) for counters.

To add context, Nottingham Forest last season under Nuno Espirito Santo landed in the 98th percentile (top 2%).

With Ange Postecoglou’s philosophy, Manuel Pellegrini could punish Forest on Wednesday night with effective counterattacks.

Murillo being back for Real Betis game is a huge boost for Nottingham Forest

Ange Postecoglou confirmed that Murillo will be back to play Real Betis, and that is a huge boost for their chances on Wednesday night.

The Brazilian is one of their quicker central defenders, and if the Tricky Trees are to face a lot of counterattacks, his pace to cover space behind will be key.

Postecoglou will be delighted to have the 23-year-old back, but he was impressed by another defender vs Burnley.

The likelihood is that Murillo will come back in to partner with Nikola Milenkovic, and only Ola Aina will be missing from the Australian’s best defence.