Nottingham Forest are ready to begin another Premier League campaign, but this one feels a little different. Oliver Glasner will take charge of his first competitive game when Leeds United visit the City Ground on Saturday.
Forest finished 16th last season after also having European football to deal with. Glasner has now taken over following Vitor Pereira’s short spell in charge, and the new boss knows there is work to do if Forest are to climb the table.
The Austrian arrives with an impressive record behind him. He previously won the Conference League, FA Cup and Community Shield with Crystal Palace. Now the attention turns to Forest and the opening day against Leeds.
The match can be followed on the Dave Premier League 2026/27 season updates.
Nottingham Forest team news
Forest won’t have a fully fit squad for Glasner’s first league game.
Captain Ryan Yates remains out, while Nicolo Savona is also unavailable. Savona has had another setback in his recovery and isn’t expected back for a few weeks.
That leaves Oliver Glasner with some decisions to make, although he still has a big group of players to choose from.
The expected shape is a back three. Ousmane Diomande could make his Forest debut alongside Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, while Ola Aina and Neco Williams are expected to operate as wing-backs.
Xaver Schlager could also get his first Premier League appearance for Forest after joining on a free transfer from RB Leipzig. He is expected to come into midfield alongside Ibrahim Sangare following Elliot Anderson’s departure.
Further forward, Morgan Gibbs-White could play behind Igor Jesus, with former Leeds striker Chris Wood leading the line.
Forest’s pre-season results were mixed. They won three of their six games, losing the other three, and head into the opener without a win in their last four competitive matches.
Leeds, meanwhile, arrive after spending just over £80m on four new players. James Trafford, Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson are all expected to feature.
Leeds arrive with their own injury problems
Daniel Farke’s side won’t be at full strength either.
Gabriel Gudmundsson and Wilfried Gnonto are both expected to miss out with thigh injuries, while Ilia Gruev remains a doubt because of a knee problem.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin should start up front. He finished last season as Leeds’ leading scorer with 15 goals.
Leeds did struggle on their visit last season, collecting only 15 points away from home. Only Wolves and Burnley picked up fewer. Even so, their final run was encouraging, with just two defeats in their last 12 away league games.
History between Leeds and Nottingham Forest at the City Ground
NottinghamForest have won their last four home league meetings with Leeds and are unbeaten against them in 14 top-flight matches at home, with seven wins and seven draws.
Oliver Glasner will also be hoping to avoid adding to an unwanted Forest record. The last six permanent Forest managers all lost their first Premier League game in charge. The Austrian has a better personal record, having won his opening league game with four of his previous five clubs.
That makes Saturday an interesting test for the new Forest boss.
Nottingham Forest will want the result, of course, but Glasner’s first competitive outing will also give supporters their first real look at what his team might become.
