Premier League:  Forest and Leeds Duel in Top-Flight for the First Time in Over Two Decades

Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United

Nottingham Forest and Leeds United will finally face off in the Premier League for the first time in 24 years. They were supposed to meet earlier this campaign, but it was postponed in the wake of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

Not much has changed for Forest and Leeds since September because they only have one foot above the dreaded relegation zone, with the hosts in 13^th with 21 points while the visitors are in 15^th with 18 points – only one point over 18^th-place Bournemouth.

Both sides were busy in cup action earlier this week as Nottingham Forest bowed out of the EFL Cup semi-finals against Manchester United, while Leeds United are through to the FA Cup fifth round after defeating Accrington Stanley convincingly last Saturday.

Talking Points

Key players missing for Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest seemingly built momentum when they secured positive Premier League 2023 results to start the year, but they were sent crashing back to earth when they were comprehensively beaten by Manchester United in the EFL Cup semi-finals.

Steve Cooper’s side were badly outplayed in the two legs against the Red Devils, as they conceded five goals and scored none despite having a decent amount of chances.

Injuries haven’t helped Nottingham Forest, as they were without the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jesse Lingard, Chris Wood, and Dean Henderson.

Awoniyi is the team’s second-leading scorer with five goals, while Gibbs-White and Lingard are their top playmakers with four goals and six assists combined.

Wood, meanwhile, has yet to open his account at Nottingham Forest after joining them on loan two weeks ago from Newcastle United.

If they are going to be unavailable, this means that Brennan Johnson and Sam Surridge will continue to lead the line for Nottingham Forest. Johnson has been the bright spot for Nottingham Forest this season with six goals and two assists, while Surridge has tacked on three goals and two assists.

They also need to work on their leaky defence since they’ve already conceded 35 league goals so far this season, good for the second-worst in the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest were one of the busiest teams in the recently concluded January transfer window, as they’ve brought in Gustavo Scarpa, Danilo, Felipe, Jonjo Shelvey, and Keylor Navas, who will cover for the injured Dean Henderson.

McKennie to lead Leeds United’s USMNT contingent

Leeds United now have three USMNT players on their roster with the arrival of Weston McKennie. The 24-year-old midfielder has joined the team on loan from Juventus, and Leeds United have the option to purchase his contract permanently in the summer if things go according to plan.

He will be a major member of the team, along with other Stars and Stripes stars Tyler Adams and Brendan Aaronson. Jesse Marsch, who has played for the USMNT himself in the past, will continue to serve as their coach.

Unfortunately for Leeds United, their frontline has once again been weakened, as Rodrigo is expected to miss some time due to an ankle injury he suffered against Accrington Stanley.

Patrick Bamford must step up to assist the Whites in moving up the Premier League standings now that Rodrigo is out.

History

Nottingham Forest and Leeds United’s last competitive meeting came back in 2019-20, when the former beat the latter 2-0 in the Championship at City Ground.

Steve Cooper’s side has won their last two home league games against the Whites, and they can win three in a row against them at City Ground for the first time since May 1991.

Leeds United have won just two of their last 15 league encounters against Nottingham Forest (D6, L7), and they’re winless in their last 12 top-flight matches against them (D7, L5).

But since returning to the Premier League in 2020, the Whites have won all five of their away games against newly promoted sides by an aggregate tally of 14-3.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2023 odds see a tight contest between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United. Nottingham Forest were given the slight edge at 2.58 to win, whereas Leeds United are priced at 2.73, and a draw is at 3.15 in the 1X2 market.

It’s hard to predict who will win since these two sides are evenly matched on paper, so we’ll look at the possible goal count of this contest.

With both sides struggling in the final third, we believe that this is going to be a low-scoring contest, making Under 2.50 at 1.96 a viable bet.

 

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