Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United – Match Preview – Two footballing heavyweights go toe to toe at the City Ground on Saturday night as Nottingham Forest host Leeds United. Both sides have made encouraging starts to the season, sitting in fourth and fifth respectively.
After selling star striker Britt Assombalonga to Middlesbrough, you could excuse any Forest fan for feeling pessimistic about the season ahead. That money however has been cleverly invested in the squad, and this has seen Forest yield nine points from their opening four fixtures. New signings Barrie McKay, Daryl Murphy and Andreas Bouchalakis have impressed, with all three getting on the score sheet early on in their Forest careers.
The club have further strengthened their squad this week with the permanent signing of Liam Bridcutt. The midfielder is now in line to make his debut against the club he has just left. Warburton seems to be building a team that is equipped for Championship football, and this has been underlined by Murphy’s instant impact in the team. After helping Newcastle United to the league title last year, he has already managed three goals for Forest, proving himself to be an astute signing for just two million pounds.
Daryl Murphy has scored three goals for Forest this season so far Photo Credit: skysports.com
Leeds begin life without Chris Wood, following his £15 million pound move to Premier League side Burnley. Although Leeds impressively beat Sunderland 2-0 last week without him, it is yet to be seen how much his absence will affect Thomas Christiansen’s side.
One bright spark for Leeds this season has been summer signing Samuel Saiz. The Spaniard has already scored four goals this season, and has put in some eye-catching performances in Leeds impressive start to the campaign. They are one of only three clubs left in the division yet to be beaten, and have won both of their away games so far this season.
Samuel Saiz has made a great start to the season for Leeds United Photo Credit: skysports.com
In this fixture last season, it was the home side who prevailed, coming out 3-1 winners. Forest have a good record against Leeds, with the Reds losing only two of their last ten meetings. Leeds last win at the City Ground came back in 2011, and they have only picked up two points there since then.
The last ten games between the two teams have produced 25 goals with both teams scoring on six occasions. I fancy another tight game this Saturday, with both teams to score looking a fairly safe bet.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Leeds United
SKYBET: 2-1 CORRECT SCORE- 17/2
SKYBET: MURPHY TO SCORE AND FOREST TO WIN- 11/4
SKYBET: MURPHY AND SAIZ TO BOTH SCORE- 7/1
SKYBET: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND LEEDS TO WIN- 4/1
SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE GROUP BETTING, DRAW 1-1, 2-2 OR 3-3- 3/1
