Preview: Leeds United vs Nottingham Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, separated only by goal difference in the Premier League table, will come together at Elland Road on Friday night.

Both teams are nervously glancing over their shoulders at the relegation zone, leaving each desperate to claim all three points and further distance themselves from the drop.

Match preview

Leeds United, as one of the three newly promoted sides in the Premier League, were one of the favourites to suffer an immediate relegation come the end of the 2025-26 campaign, alongside fellow promoted sides Burnley and Sunderland.

Although the Whites instantly demonstrated their quality with a 1-0 win against Everton on the opening day of the term, Leeds struggled to match those results in the following weeks, picking up just two more wins and two draws in their next 12 league fixtures.

Leeds eventually ended their challenging run of results with a stunning 3-1 win against Chelsea in their first match of December, and that sparked the beginning of a fantastic ongoing run for Daniel Farke's side.

Leeds United have now lost just two of their last 11 Premier League fixtures, alongside three wins and six draws, helping them climb up to 16th in the standings with a healthy six-point lead over the relegation zone.

However, the Whites were on the wrong end of a devastating 4-0 scoreline against Arsenal last weekend, while they have won just one of their last seven Premier League fixtures, and with West Ham winning two of their last three games, Farke will be eager for his side to get back on track and start putting further distance between themselves and the drop zone.

That will especially be the case as Leeds United match up against Nottingham Forest on Friday night, with the Tricky Trees sitting just one place behind the hosts on goal difference, as the two teams are locked level on 26 points.

While Farke's team have impressed on their return to the top flight, the Tricky Trees have endured a tumultuous and underwhelming season to date.

Off the back of a spectacular seventh-placed finish in 2024-25 and a busy summer of spending, expectations were high that Nottingham Forest would establish themselves as a top-half side in the Premier League.

Despite starting the campaign with one win, one draw and one loss from their opening three league fixtures, a public breakdown in relations between the club and Nuno Espirito Santo led to the surprise dismissal of the manager.

Ange Postecoglou was swiftly appointed, but the former Tottenham Hotspur boss experienced a disastrous time at the helm, failing to win any of his eight games before being dismissed, with six losses and just two draws in that time.

Sean Dyche was subsequently appointed as Forest's third permanent manager of the campaign, and after 23 games in charge, Dyche has recorded 10 victories, four draws and suffered nine defeats across all competitions.

Dyche initially made an immediately positive impact, winning four and drawing one of his first eight Premier League games, as well as securing crucial results in the Europa League that ultimately helped Forest secure their progression into the knockout rounds.

A four-game losing run at the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 threatened to see Forest dragged deeper into the relegation battle, but Dyche's side have steadied the ship in recent weeks, with two wins and two draws in their last four fixtures.

As a result, Nottingham Forest are 17th in the table with a six-point lead over the drop zone, and as Forest face fellow relegation threatened Leeds United, another three points on Friday could go a long way in helping to secure their top-flight survival.

Nottingham Forest were able to demonstrate their superior quality in the reverse fixture against Leeds, as Ibrahim Sangare, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson scored in a commanding 3-1 triumph, and they will be aiming to replicate that result at Elland Road.

Leeds have, however, been hard to beat at their home ground this season, picking up five wins, four draws and only three defeats from their 12 league matches at Elland Road.

Leeds United Premier League form:

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Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

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Team News

Leeds United are without Jaka Bijol (hamstring), Daniel James (hamstring) and Lukas Nmecha (thigh) for this match due to injury issues, although all three should return to action in the coming weeks.

Despite a crushing 4-0 loss to Arsenal last weekend, Farke will stick to the five defender system that has worked so well in recent months, although changes in personnel could be made in hopes of a much-needed response following that defeat.

Sebastiaan Bornauw should come back into the back three ahead of James Justin, who could move back out to the left wing-back position in place of Gabriel Gudmundsson, while Noah Okafor may be introduced into the forward line.

As for Nottingham Forest, John Victor (knee), Matz Sels (muscle), Nicolo Savona (knee), Chris Wood (knee) and Callum Hudson-Odoi (shoulder) are ruled out with injury, while Neco Williams is suspended after last weekend's sending off.

January signing Stefan Ortega could make his debut in goal, while Morato could start at left-back in Williams' absence, alongside Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo in defence.

Further forward, Dan Ndoye may start on the right flank in Hudson-Odoi's absence, with Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolas Dominguez and Igor Jesus potentially retaining their places in the attacking quartet.

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Darlow; Bornauw, Rodon, Struijk; Bogle, Ampadu, Gruev, Justin; Stach, Okafor; Calvert-Lewin

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Dominguez; Jesus

We say: Leeds United 2-2 Nottingham Forest

Leeds United have proven to be a formidable opponent at home, and although Nottingham Forest are in strong form and boast an impressive record in this fixture, they have failed to win in any of their last five trips to Elland Road.

Three of those five encounters have ended in stalemates, and as a result, we are backing this one to also end all sqaure.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.