Nottingham Forest host Leeds at The City Ground on Saturday, August 22 (10:00 AM ET / 9:00 AM CT / 7:00 AM PT).
Nottingham Forest have a few fitness concerns to monitor before this one: a doubtful Callum Hudson-Odoi carries a thigh issue, a doubtful Nicolo Savona is nursing a knee problem, and a doubtful Christopher Wood is also touch-and-go. Leeds will be missing a sidelined Gabriel Gudmundsson (thigh), while a doubtful Lucas Perri (wrist/hand) and a doubtful Ilia Gruev (knee) round out the away side’s fitness list. Fitness allowing, Forest lean on Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus to lead their attack, with Leeds looking to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach to carry the threat on the road.
Both sides arrive at a City Ground clash with the table still blank — neither has kicked a competitive ball yet this season — but the closing stretch of last term offers a guide. Forest signed off with three straight wins before a draw and a defeat, while Leeds were unbeaten across their final five, three of them wins either side of two draws. Expect goals at both ends: Gibbs-White’s creativity against a Leeds side who found the net freely down the stretch, with Calvert-Lewin’s finishing the biggest threat on the counter.
Nottingham Forest vs Leeds: Best Bets & Predictions
A blank table, sharp closing form, and goals expected on both sides at the City Ground.
Our approach: we weigh the closing form from last season, the confirmed team news, and where the goals are likely to come from to land on a scoreline that ties every leg of our slate together.
Odds correct at time of writing and shown in American format for illustration; your local odds may vary. 19+ (18+ in AB/MB/QC). Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 (ON).
Season Form & Standings
Neither side has kicked a ball this season yet — both sit on 0 points from 0 games played, with a goal difference of 0 apiece. The table offers nothing to lean on just yet, so this one is judged purely on the football.
Premier League
| Team | Pos | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leeds | 13 | 0 | |||||||
| Nottingham Forest | 18 | 0 |
Nottingham Forest vs Leeds Predicted Lineups
Predicted XI — updated for the latest team news.
Nottingham Forest
3-4-2-1Leeds
3-4-3Potential Match-Winners
- Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest): Scored 15 goals and created 49 chances last season, adding 4 assists as Forest’s chief creator.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds): A leading striker who scored 14 goals and put 34 shots on target last season, comfortably Leeds’ most reliable finisher.
- Anton Stach (Leeds): Orchestrated Leeds’ play last season, delivering 63 chances created and 5 goals of his own from midfield.
Recent Form
Nottingham Forest: W W W D L
- 2026-05-17: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest (L, away)
- 2026-05-10: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle (D, home)
- 2026-05-04: Chelsea 1-3 Nottingham Forest (W, away)
- 2026-04-24: Sunderland 0-5 Nottingham Forest (W, away)
- 2026-04-19: Nottingham Forest 4-1 Burnley (W, home)
Forest closed last season W W W D L. They lost 3-2 away to Manchester United, then drew 1-1 at home with Newcastle. Before that came a run of wins: 3-1 away at Chelsea, 5-0 away at Sunderland, and 4-1 at home to Burnley.
Leeds: W D W D W
- 2026-05-17: Leeds 1-0 Brighton (W, home)
- 2026-05-11: Tottenham 1-1 Leeds (D, away)
- 2026-05-01: Leeds 3-1 Burnley (W, home)
- 2026-04-22: Bournemouth 2-2 Leeds (D, away)
- 2026-04-18: Leeds 3-0 Wolves (W, home)
Leeds ended last season W D W D W. They beat Brighton 1-0 at home, then drew 1-1 away at Tottenham. Earlier they won 3-1 at home to Burnley, drew 2-2 away at Bournemouth, and won 3-0 at home to Wolves.
Nottingham Forest vs Leeds Prediction
With both teams still on 0 points from 0 games played, the closing stretch of last season is the best guide, and it favours Forest. We’ll take a 2-1 win for the hosts at the City Ground, with Leeds good enough to score but not to avoid defeat.