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

Oliver Glasner’s reign as Nottingham Forest head coach begins on Saturday afternoon when his team welcome Leeds United to the City Ground for their opening fixture of the 2026-27 Premier League season.

The Tricky Trees claimed a 3-1 victory over the Whites in this exact fixture last season before losing by the same scoreline at Elland Road in February.

Match preview

Preparing for life under a fifth different manager in less than 12 months, Nottingham Forest enter the new season with former Crystal Palace boss Glasner at the helm following the exit of Vitor Pereira in July after just 137 days in charge.

Pereira steered the Tricky Trees away from the relegation picture and up to 16th place in the Premier League last season, but Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is now excited by a new era under Glasner, who won the Conference League, FA Cup and Community Shield with Palace.

Just two high-profile signings have been made by Forest this summer (centre-back Ousmane Diomande and versatile midfielder Xaver Schlager), but Glasner expects “one or two” more players to arrive before the September 1 deadline, as he bids to build a squad capable of challenging for at least a top-half finish this term.

Five wins, one draw and three defeats were posted across nine pre-season friendlies by Forest, who head into Saturday’s Premier League opener having won their last four home league meetings with Leeds, boasting a 14-game unbeaten top-flight run against the Whites at the City Ground (W7 D7).

Glasner has also won his first league match in charge with four of his five previous clubs (L1), though each of the last six permanent Forest bosses has suffered defeat in their first Premier League match since Dave Bassett led the Tricky Trees to a 1-0 away victory over Tottenham back in March 1997.

Leeds ended the previous campaign in positive fashion under head coach Daniel Farke, who steered the club to the FA Cup semi-finals and oversaw eight wins, 12 draws and only five defeats across 25 Premier League games after switching to a back three/five formation in December.

The Whites have since enjoyed an eye-catching pre-season this summer, beating Sunderland (1-0), Liverpool (4-2) and RB Leipzig (2-0) as well as holding Man United to a 1-1 draw, before thrashing Augsburg 4-0 in their most recent friendly last weekend.

Seeking to secure a top-half finish in the Premier League for the first time since 2020-21, Leeds have spent just over £80m to strengthen their squad with four new arrivals so far this summer, and Farke is keen to “add a bit more quality in different areas” before the transfer window slams shut.

A strong start to the new Premier League season is desired by a Leeds outfit who have lost their opening fixture in just two of their last 18 top-flight campaigns (W9 D7), suffering defeat to Liverpool in 2020-21 and Manchester United in 2021-22.

Leeds travel to the City Ground this weekend having lost only two of their final 12 Premier League away matches (albeit winning just one and drawing the remaining nine). However, only relegated duo Wolves (six) and Burnley (nine) collected fewer points on the road last season than the Whites (15).

Nottingham Forest pre-season form:

Leeds United pre-season form:

Team News

Nottingham Forest will be without captain Ryan Yates (unspecified) and defender Nicolo Savona (knee) as they continue to recover from injury, the latter has suffered a minor setback in his recovery.

Glasner’s back-three system is set to be deployed, with £34m signing Diomande hoping to make his debut at centre-back alongside Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, while Ola Aina and Neco Williams operate as wing-backs.

Schlager will be pushing to start in centre-midfield alongside Ibrahim Sangare, while star man Morgan Gibbs-White could link up with Igor Jesus in behind ex-Leeds striker Chris Wood.

As for the Whites, left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson, attacker Willy Gnonto and goalkeeper Lucas Perri are all ruled out with thigh injuries, while Ilia Gruev (knee) is currently a doubt.

Summer signing Tarik Muharemovic impressed during pre-season and is expected to make his full debut at centre-back alongside Jaka Bijol and Joe Rodon, with club-record signing James Trafford starting in goal.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who scored a team-high 15 goals for Leeds last season, is expected to lead the line, with new recruit Harry Wilson and Brendan Aaronson hoping to get the nod to start in advanced roles ahead of Noah Okafor and Lukas Nmecha.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Diomande, Milenkovic, Murillo; Aina, Schlager, Sangare, Williams; Gibbs-White, Jesus; Wood

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Rodon, Bijol, Muharemovic; Bogle, Ampadu, Stach, Justin; Wilson, Aaronson; Calvert-Lewin

We say: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Leeds United

Having caught the eye with their stellar pre-season performances, Leeds could prove to be a major headache for a transitioning Nottingham Forest team, still adapting to Glasner's new tactical system, on the opening weekend.

The disciplined visitors are well-equipped to stifle the hosts' attacking threat and they may have what it takes to grind out a surprise, slender triumph on away soil.

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