Nottingham Forest v Leeds United: Premier League season opener preview, team news and prediction

Nottingham Forest will host Leeds United at the City Ground on the opening matchday of the 2026-27 Premier League season. The fixture pairs Oliver Glasner's newly appointed Nottingham side against Daniel Farke's Leeds as both teams begin the new campaign.

Forest ended the 2025-26 season in 16th place, narrowly avoiding relegation, and responded by appointing Glasner and recruiting Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP and Xaver Schlager from RB Leipzig. Leeds finished 14th with 47 points last term; under Daniel Farke the club has adopted a proactive style and has added James Trafford, Tarik Muharemović and Nico Elvedi to its squad.

Recent form coming into the match is mixed: Nottingham Forest (in all competitions) are listed as W-W-L-L-L, while Leeds United (in all competitions) are W-L-W-W-W.

Individual player notes in the preview single out Murillo as having been exceptionally consistent for Nottingham over the last few years and, despite his young age, being regarded as one of the best centre-backs in world football. The article also states, "Saka has all the qualities to be the best player in the world as he is creative, explosive, and highly technical as well."

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is noted as having joined Leeds United last season, scoring 14 goals in the league during his debut campaign for the club and contributing heavily to positive results; the preview describes him as a strong physical presence in the front three who holds off his marker and creates space for teammates.

Team availability and projected starting XIs are provided: Nottingham are said to have their entire squad available, while Leeds will be without Gabriel Gudmundsson, Mateo Joseph and Wilfried Gnonto. The predicted Nottingham Forest lineup is: Sels (GK); Diomande, Murillo, Milenkovic; Aina, Sangare, Schlager, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Jesus. The predicted Leeds United lineup is: Trafford (GK); Bijol, Rodon, Muharemovic; Bogle, Stach, Ampadu, Justin; Aaronson, Wilson; Calvert-Lewin.

The preview recalls that the last meeting between these teams ended in a 3-1 win for Leeds United and anticipates a close contest, ultimately predicting Nottingham Forest to win 2-1, citing home advantage and a slightly better historical record. The match will be played at the City Ground in Nottinghamshire, England, will be broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports and TNT Sports, and will be streamed live on JioHotstar in India.