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Nottingham Forest and Leeds United will play at the City Ground in their Premier League opener on Saturday afternoon, just three days before they face off again in the Carabao Cup.
After juggling European football with the league last season, Forest will be aiming for a stronger finish in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Leeds did well to cement themselves in the division after promotion, and will be hoping to kick on again.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds United key stats
- Forest are winless in four competitive games (D2, L2).
- Leeds only won twice away from home in the league last season (D9, L8).
- Leeds are unbeaten in 16 of previous last 18 Premier League openers (W9, D7).
Forest vs Leeds — Tale of the Tape
| Forest | vs | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
| 18th | Position | 13th |
| 0 | Points | 0 |
| 0 | Goals For | 0 |
| 0 | Goals Against | 0 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 0 |
| 18th | Home / Away Rank | 13th |
After a strong season which saw them qualify for the Europa League, Forest slumped to a 16th-place finish last campaign.
They went through four permanent managers, and have another one in charge now in former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner.
Having won them the Conference League last term and their first major trophy in the FA Cup, it can be seen as an exciting appointment.
Ryan Yates and Nicolo Savona are Forest's only expected absentees with injury, but Elliot Anderson is a big miss from the squad having joined Manchester City for £116m.
Likewise, Daniel Farke says Leeds are only missing two players themselves in Gabriel Gudmundsson and Wilfried Gnonto.
They have strengthened significantly this summer with the record signing of James Trafford, while Harry Wilson and Tarik Muharemovic have also been smart additions.
Having won the Championship, the Whites did well last season with an 14th-place finish and also a run to the FA Cup semi-final.
As such, Leeds will have higher ambitions this time around, and could even aim for the top half of the table.
Nottingham Forest vs. Leeds United form guide & betting tips
| Forest | vs | Leeds |
|---|---|---|
N/A |
Form | N/A |
| 0 | Points | 0 |
| 18th | Form Table | 13th |
| 0 | Goals For | 0 |
| 0 | Goals Against | 0 |
LLLWW |
Form (All Comps) | WWWLW |
Whispers predicts: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Leeds United
Forest are 11/8 (2.38) favourites to win, but given Leeds' strong pre-season, we fancy them to get a positive result.
A Draw at 12/5 (3.40) is well-priced to back, while Under 2.5 goals at 10/11 (1.91) could also come through, with nine of Forest's last 10 home fixtures producing two or fewer goals.
In terms of player betting, we are backing Forest talisman Morgan Gibbs-White to get off to a good start, and with eight goal contributions in his previous five competitive outings (G6, A2), we are backing Gibbs-White to score or assist at 27/20 (2.35).
Overall, we are predicting a 1-1 draw, which is available at 6/1 (7.00).
> Under 2.5 goals at 10/11 (1.91) | Likelihood: Probable
> Gibbs-White to score or assist at 27/20 (2.35) | Likelihood: Possible
> Draw at 12/5 (3.40) | Likelihood: Outsider