Nottingham Forest to host Bayer 04 Leverkusen in pre-season friendly at the City Ground on August 12
Nottingham Forest will host Bayer 04 Leverkusen in a pre-season friendly at the City Ground on August 12 ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. The match is part of both clubs’ final preparations before the new season.
Forest arrive at the City Ground on a three-match losing run in pre-season, most recently beaten 0-1 by FC Barcelona. Oliver Glasner’s side have two friendlies remaining as they prepare for the Premier League 2026-27; the club have signed two players so far in the ongoing transfer window and the preview states the team need more calm and composed players and still have time to add to the squad.
Bayer Leverkusen come into the fixture unbeaten in pre-season, having won each of their last five matches. Their most recent result was a 2-1 victory over Sevilla FC, a game in which they trailed in the first half before Patrik Schick scored a brace to secure the win.
Patrik Schick, described in the preview as a 30-year-old who produced a top performance, is expected to lead Leverkusen’s attack and “will once again be deployed in the final third and is going to be a constant threat to the opponent’s defence.” Morgan Gibbs-White is highlighted for Forest after scoring 15 goals and registering 4 assists in the Premier League 2025-26 and is likely to start for Nottingham Forest.
All Nottingham Forest squad members are reported fit and available for selection. The preview notes that World Cup participant England’s Jarell Quansah could also return to action for Forest ahead of the meeting with Leverkusen.
Bayer Leverkusen are carrying injury absences: Kennet Eichhorn, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Nathan Tella and Montrell Culbreath will be unavailable for Bayer Leverkusen due to their injuries. The anticipated starting lineups listed in the preview are: Sels (GK); Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, N Williams; Sangare, McAtee; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Sa; Wood for Nottingham Forest, and Flekken (GK); Arthur, Bade, Tapsoba, Gutierrez; Andrich, Palacios, A Garcia; Tillman; Schick, Kofane for Bayer Leverkusen.
The preview suggests Bayer Leverkusen are likely to secure a win in the upcoming pre-season game, while noting Forest will field many of their top players. Fans can watch the fixture live via Forest TV when the teams meet at the City Ground on August 12.
