Nottingham Forest are travelling to Italy to take part in the inaugural Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup on Saturday night.

In Udine, Forest will take on hosts Udinese, as well as European juggernauts Barcelona in the tournament.

Though it forms part of pre-season, the new-look tournament looks different to anything you may have seen before.

Ahead of the matches, which are being streamed on Forest TV, here is a look at the format and rules of the tournament, so you know exactly what to expect.

There will be three matches, with each team playing each other once, but this will all happen on the same night, at the same stadium.

Instead of four-and-a-half hours of continuous football, this means that matches will be shorter to allow for the seamless flow of the tournament.

Each match will be just 45 minutes long, with a scheduled 15-minute break between matches.

The tournament winner will be decided by league format, whereby the winners of each game wins three points, like normal, right?

In the event of a draw, things will look different. As you may anticipate, a penalty shootout will occur, with the winning team receiving two points, and the losing team still receiving one point.

Why do you losing team receive a point, you ask? Please do not ask questions that I could not possibly answer. It is still pre-season, I guess it does not need to make sense.

In truth, I cannot even guarantee whether there will be a trophy for the winners, though judging by the tournament's name and logo, one would assume there will be.

What can be promised, is an exciting and intriguing footballing showcase against one of the world's best clubs, and one of Italy's most historic – you can figure out which is which.

For Reds fans travelling to northeastern Italy for the tournament, there is even more to look forward to.

Udine is a traditional Italian city which boasts Venetian charm, having been under Venetian rule for 400 years, until 1797.

The city is, for the most part, entirely walkable, with scenic architecture and stunning views from the hilltop castle, a short trip to which I am reliably assured is a must-do.

Supporters with a match ticket can also enjoy free admission to some museums in the city, with full details available here.

But enough of that, I am not being paid nearly enough to act as a travel agent on behalf of the city, nor do they need my help promoting them.

The schedule could be delayed if earlier games result in a penalty shootout, but as it stands, this is the current timeline.

*subject to delays due to earlier games.