Nottingham Forest v Leeds United Match Thread
Sunday 9th November 2:00pm | City Ground
Leeds United face a pivotal Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday, with Daniel Farke’s side desperate to pick up points ahead of a daunting run of fixtures against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. The return of Anton Stach to the starting line-up is a possibility, despite the midfielder still nursing a rib injury sustained in last month’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Stach was omitted from the starting XI in last weekend’s disappointing 3-0 loss at Brighton, but his absence highlighted Leeds’ lack of midfield control. Farke may risk the soon-to-be 27-year-old, potentially at the expense of AO Tanaka, favouring a central partnership of Sean Longstaff and Brenden Aaronson.
Defensively, Leeds must shore up after conceding three at the Amex, with Farke weighing his options between Pascal Struijk and Jaka Bijol for a starting role at centre-back. Out wide, Dan James and the newly fit Wilfried Gnonto are likely to be impact substitutes rather than starters, as Farke looks to maintain balance in the side.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 13 top-flight home meetings with Leeds (winning six and drawing seven) since a 2-0 defeat under Matt Gillies in November 1971. However, their current form is cause for concern; Forest are winless in their last nine Premier League matches (drawing three and losing six), their worst run since going 11 without victory between February and April 2023 – a sequence that included a loss to Leeds.
Sean Dyche’s squad is severely depleted, with a growing injury list hampering his selection options. Key absentees include Angus Gunn (knee ligaments), Ola Aina (hamstring), Douglas Luiz (hamstring), Oleksandr Zinchenko (groin), Dilane Bakwa (knock), and Chris Wood (knee). To compound matters, Callum Hudson-Odoi is rated doubtful after picking up a knock in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
With Forest struggling for wins and Leeds desperate to avoid another poor performance, Sunday’s match is shaping up to be a tense encounter. The visitors will see this as a crucial opportunity to grab points before entering a brutal sequence of fixtures, while the hosts will be desperate to climb out of the bottom three, and will see Leeds as a must win game.
Leeds United face a pivotal Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday, with Daniel Farke’s side desperate to pick up points ahead of a daunting run of fixtures against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. The return of Anton Stach to the starting line-up is a possibility, despite the midfielder still nursing a rib injury sustained in last month’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Stach was omitted from the starting XI in last weekend’s disappointing 3-0 loss at Brighton, but his absence highlighted Leeds’ lack of midfield control. Farke may risk the soon-to-be 27-year-old, potentially at the expense of AO Tanaka, favouring a central partnership of Sean Longstaff and Brenden Aaronson.
Defensively, Leeds must shore up after conceding three at the Amex, with Farke weighing his options between Pascal Struijk and Jaka Bijol for a starting role at centre-back. Out wide, Dan James and the newly fit Wilfried Gnonto are likely to be impact substitutes rather than starters, as Farke looks to maintain balance in the side.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last 13 top-flight home meetings with Leeds (winning six and drawing seven) since a 2-0 defeat under Matt Gillies in November 1971. However, their current form is cause for concern; Forest are winless in their last nine Premier League matches (drawing three and losing six), their worst run since going 11 without victory between February and April 2023 – a sequence that included a loss to Leeds.
Sean Dyche’s squad is severely depleted, with a growing injury list hampering his selection options. Key absentees include Angus Gunn (knee ligaments), Ola Aina (hamstring), Douglas Luiz (hamstring), Oleksandr Zinchenko (groin), Dilane Bakwa (knock), and Chris Wood (knee). To compound matters, Callum Hudson-Odoi is rated doubtful after picking up a knock in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
With Forest struggling for wins and Leeds desperate to avoid another poor performance, Sunday’s match is shaping up to be a tense encounter. The visitors will see this as a crucial opportunity to grab points before entering a brutal sequence of fixtures, while the hosts will be desperate to climb out of the bottom three, and will see Leeds as a must win game.