Nottingham Forest and Leeds United meet at the City Ground on Tuesday in the EFL Cup second round, only three days after the same opponents began their Premier League seasons at this venue. Forest are seeking immediate revenge after Anton Stach's late free kick gave Leeds a 1-0 league victory.
Oliver Glasner's competitive debut as Forest manager contained some encouraging passages, but his side failed to convert their best openings. Nikola Milenkovic struck the post and Igor Jesus missed from the rebound before Stach decided a tight match in the 88th minute.
Leeds arrive with five wins and one draw from their last six matches in all competitions. Daniel Farke is expected to rotate, yet the visitors' strong recent form and four victories in the last five meetings give them every reason to approach the rematch with confidence.
Nottingham Forest vs Leeds United: Key Stats
Nottingham Forest's form guide is D-L-L-W-W-L, with two victories from six matches
Leeds are unbeaten in six matches, winning five and drawing one
Leeds have scored 13 goals, conceded three and kept four clean sheets during that six-game run
Saturday's league meeting produced only five shots on target before Stach scored the 88th-minute winner
Leeds have won four of the last five meetings between the clubs
Photo Credit (leeds united)
What to Expect
Glasner is expected to make extensive changes only three days after the league fixture. John Victor should replace Matz Sels in goal, while summer signing Ousmane Diomande could make his Forest debut alongside Zach Abbott and Murillo. Ryan Yates and Nicolo Savona remain unavailable.
Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Dominguez can give Forest fresh legs in midfield, with Ola Aina and Luca Netz providing width. Omari Hutchinson and Callum Hudson-Odoi should support Chris Wood, although several new combinations may make the hosts less fluent than usual.
Leeds should also rotate, bringing Nico Elvedi, Sean Longstaff, Dan James, Largie Ramazani and Lukas Nmecha into contention. Wilfried Gnonto, Mateo Joseph and Ilia Gruev are sidelined, while Gabriel Gudmundsson is doubtful. Farke will still expect a compact defensive shape, quick transitions and another strong set-piece threat.
Predicted Lineups
Nottingham Forest (3-4-2-1)
Victor; Abbott, Diomande, Murillo; Aina, Schlager, Dominguez, Netz; Hutchinson, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Leeds United (3-4-2-1)
Trafford; Elvedi, Bijol, Muharemovic; Justin, Byram, Stach, Longstaff; Ramazani, James; Nmecha
Players to Watch
Ousmane Diomande - The summer signing could make his Forest debut after remaining on the bench at the weekend. His recovery pace, physical strength and confidence carrying the ball should suit the outside-centre-back role in Glasner's system.
Callum Hudson-Odoi - Forest need more penetration than they produced on Saturday. Hudson-Odoi can provide it by isolating defenders, driving infield from the left and creating shooting opportunities around the edge of the box.
Anton Stach - Saturday's match-winner remains Leeds' clearest set-piece threat. His delivery and long-range shooting can again prove decisive if an otherwise tight contest is settled by a dead-ball situation.
Dan James - James offers the pace to attack the spaces behind Forest's wing-backs. A strong cup performance would also strengthen his case for a regular league place in Farke's refreshed squad.
Prediction
Prediction: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.85
Saturday's meeting produced one goal, only five combined shots on target and expected-goals figures of 0.65 for Forest and 0.49 for Leeds. Neither side created consistently from open play, and an 88th-minute free kick was required to separate them.
Heavy rotation should introduce fresh legs but may reduce attacking cohesion, while Leeds have conceded only three goals and kept four clean sheets in their last six matches. Forest have failed to score in three of their last six, so another narrow contest looks more likely than a sudden shootout. A 1-1 draw after 90 minutes is the preferred scoreline.