FOREST AWAY: FC Porto, Europa League QF First Leg, Thursday 9th April – Fan Guide
You’ll likely know what links the cities of Zurich, Berlin, Graz and Munich to our history. If you don’t, take a moment and it’ll probably come soon enough.
This coming week the Portuguese city of Porto will become the fifth name on this exclusive list. Come Thursday night, all will have hosted Nottingham Forest in the quarter-final of European competition.
We head to Portugal, quite unexpectedly, in a little run of form after the victories over Midtjylland and Tottenham, and with a good couple of weeks of rest and recouperation, bar those who represented their countries on international duty of course. We have also started to stir a little bit of momentum and conjure up a bit of spirit in recent weeks. The result in Herning was, I am sure, far bigger than just progress in Europe; it carved out some bonafide affection for the manager and team again, and this continued into the win at Spurs.
Suddenly, almost obviously, it felt as clear as day that European and Premier League football didn’t need to be at odds with each other. We don’t necessarily need to make a trade and abandon our shot at Europe, and rather than throwing out our second string onto the pitch in blind hope, we realised after the success against Fenerbahce, that a bit of thought and a bit of managerial skill can create a formula that succeeds by combining our second string and our senior players.
The result was two marvellous wins within a span of four days that brightened up the landscape and gave us a set of memories to cherish. And now we have a bounce in our step, and a smile on our face. Decisions and ideas from within the club on season card pricing, ticket pricing, and the tremendous open training day this past weekend have added more enthusiasm and support, and further reinforced a connection with the supporters. This was something we lost, not just this season but previously too. In the middle of becoming a really good team, as great as that was, we certainly started to lose a bit of that link between club and supporters, I think. My hope is that we can maintain this two-way relationship of the club taking positive action and also listening to ideas and feedback from fans. It could be a wonderful legacy of a difficult period.
And there’s more. Despite it all, all the shenanigans and anguish, it’s still possible that this is a famous, glorious season. Porto will be a tough opponent but we know it’s possible we can go further.
That Thursday will be this club’s fifth participation in the last eight of a major European competition encapsulates the huge occasion it is. It’s still a little unfathomable, but it’s another of these moments we have longed for in years gone by. No longer is Zurich in 1979 or Munich ’96 something we hear about as a time exclusively belonging to those lucky enough to witness it. It is as barmy as it is marvellous that this game is upon us, that we are going to experience it, and sing our hearts out in the hope that this European odyssey can run on beyond the quarter-final.
In Munich thirty years ago, our campaign ran out of steam against Bayern. But in Zurich, in Berlin, and in Graz we found a way. Whatever happens out in Portugal and back in Nottingham the week after, we’ll be proud to step into this brand-new bit of history we are making.
Trip Seven is here. To Porto we go. Enjoy it, savour it. These occasions don’t come around very often.
AWAY DAY NO.24 – FC Porto, Thursday 9th April, 8pm KO (8pm UK)
~ While certainly not acting in any official role I’ve agreed to be the nominated fan representative in the UEFA information documents that Nottinghamshire Police submitted back in the summer. This doesn’t have any specific role attached to it but I’ve been trying to help fellow fans as much as I can across our six games so far, and this will continue for our second visit to Portugal. The co-operation between club, Nottinghamshire Police and ourselves has been very welcome so far and has hopefully made things easier for those travelling. Should there be any items not covered in this guide that you want to find out please let me know. I’d suggest the best option is to e-mail us at [email protected] or DM us on social media, preferably Twitter / X should you need to.
~ Travel insurance – I’m sure most of you have has this sorted from Seville, but don’t forget. I’m not an expert in it but you can shop around a little and can also look at getting cover which lasts over a certain period which can then cover the further games. I’ve paid around £21 for cover that lasts me an entire year. For a single game you can source insurance for only a few quid.
~ We’ve experienced a fair bit of variable weather so far on our travels. It snowed on our first full day in Istanbul and we got another mix in Denmark although it was certainly on the cooler side. We can expect warmer temperatures in Portugal but rain is currently forecast across Tuesday and Wednesday. It then is currently forecast to be drier on the matchday and potentially beyond 25° so don’t forget to pack some suncream.
~ After dealing with the Turkish Lira and then the Danish Krone we are back to the familiarity of the Euro for Porto. In a Herning bakery I accidentally handed over 50 Turkish Lira that I still had in my wallet from Istanbul, causing a very strange look from the person behind the counter. ‘You must do a lot of travelling’, she said. You don’t know the half of it, I thought!
Getting to Porto
It’s one of the drawbacks of the knockout rounds that those of us celebrating a famous night in Denmark were joining the back of the queue for flights to Portugal. From what I hear, there a number of novel and complicated routes people are taking to reach Porto after the most direct routes quickly sold out or escalated wildly in price.
Many of us will be familiar with the Franciso Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) airport at Porto, having travelled there for the Braga game in January. It’s around 7 miles from the city.
We found a taxi to Braga to be very reasonable so I’d imagine it won’t be a significant cost for the relatively quick drive to Porto. At the time of writing an Uber is €12 and this seems to be the general ballpark for most taxis. If jumping in one at the airport, I expect there might be a flat price to the city but just clarify the price beforehand to avoid being stung.
There is also a metro line attached to the airport which takes you into the city using Line E (Purple) and will take you to Porto. According to the official airport website, services run every 20-30 minutes depending on the time of day. From what I can see, a single fare is £2-3.
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to review every weird and wonderful route Forest fans are taking but I’m sure you will have your own plans sussed out by now.
A few of us are on a flight to Lisbon on Wednesday and will take a train from there, arriving into Porto early on Wednesday evening. We also have some flying direct into Porto and others headed to Faro with another flight into Porto. However, you are getting there have a safe and enjoyable trip. As we have found, there is nothing quite like leaving the house on the way to follow Forest in Europe.
Collecting Match Tickets
As per the official club guide, the ticket collection point will be Hotel NH Collection Batalha in the Ribeira area of the city.
Tickets can be collected at the following times:
Wednesday 3 – 8pm
Thursday 10 – 5pm
As usual passports will be necessary to collect your ticket.
An incredibly minor point but Batalha is a Portugese town somewhere between Porto and Lisbon. I know that some will likely be jumping in taxis from the airport straight to the ticket collection point. I can’t envisage this happening but just ensure that there is no breakdown in the language barrier and the driver takes you there instead of the hotel with the same name.
Estádio do Dragão – About the Stadium and How To Get There
With a capacity of just over 50,000, the Estádio do Dragão was opened in 2003 ahead of Portugal hosting the 2004 European Championships.
It will be Forest’s first visit to Porto but they did previously meet in a 1978 pre-season tournament in Vigo, Spain. The two sides drew 0-0. There was, of course, the fixture at the City Ground earlier this season too which the Reds won 2-0.
2,506 Forest supporters will be housed in the upper tier down at one end of the side stands. As we have become accustomed to, there will be a netting in front of our section. Access is via Gates 19 & 20.
There will be no alcohol on sale.
The steps into the away section
The stadium is best reached on the city’s metro network. The Estádio do Dragão has its own dedicated stop and 3 different lines run between the city and the stadium – A (Blue), B (Red) and F (Orange). A & B will terminate at the stadium, while Line F will continue onwards.
The stop at Trindade is the closest to the designated Forest areas of the city near the river and this is a 20–25-minute walk. Another option is to use the São Bento stop on Line D (Yellow) which is a couple of stops from Trindade. You can then change here onto one of the aforementioned lines to the stadium.
Fares are generally €2 for a single fare with the option to buy a ticket at the stop or use your card / phone to dob in and out.
It should be expected that there will be hold back of away fans beyond 30 minutes, although this is subject to change.
The section shown within the red box is the away section
Pubs and Bars
The designated area for Forest fans will be the Ribeira district close to the river. It looks like there is a lot going on around this part of the city, both on the riverside and at the nearby Praça de Ribeira square.
As always though, there are other options and I’m sure many will be keen to explore further afield across the city. There are port tours and museums that can be enjoyed at locations across the city which might offer a different sort of drinking experience and offer a better taste of local culture.
One of the things I, and I’m sure many others, have enjoyed on these European trips is finding some hidden gems, particularly real ale houses or some cracking back street bars. It’s definitely worth trying to do so and seeing more of the city. The Hops Craft Beer pub in Graz, Letraria, the real ale library in Braga, or Petit’s in Herning, were all great examples of the splendid and fascinating bars you can find.
With this in mind, I found an interesting blog here on what look like some brilliant craft beer spots across Porto:
A couple of particular recommendations in here stand out:
~ Letraria Craft Beer Garden – I’m pretty certain this must be the same people as the one in Braga we visited. This is a bit in from the river, not too far from the aforementioned Sãa Bento metro stop, and if it’s anything close to the one in Braga it will be worth a visit. As the name suggests this place also has a large outside beer garden which will be great if the weather holds.
~ Bonaparte Downtown – in the middle of the city, not too far from the Trindade metro stop we’ll use to reach the stadium. A more international feel to this one with Guiness logos in the window and a variety of international ales.
~ Catraio Craft Beer Bar – Another not too far from Trindade; the blog suggests this was Porto’s first craft beer venue.
A couple of other options which are in that general area between the riverside and Trindade:
~ Gulden Draak Beer House – predominantly serving Belgian beers
~ Eleven Sports Bar – a popular choice for those passing through Porto around the Braga game in January, and I suspect this will be busy with Reds again across Wednesday and Thursday.
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I am again indebted to PC Simon Travell of Nottinghamshire Police for assisting with the guide and providing all of the photos featured within.
Safe and happy travels to all of you following the Reds to Portugal.
We shall see you there.
Up the Reds!
Matt