Leeds United travel to the City Ground as they look to end Nottingham Forest’s five-match Premier League unbeaten run.
Leeds have been winless in the Premier League since before the World Cup and their only road win came at Liverpool in October.
Getty
Johnson in action recently against Man Utd
Their record on the road is the worst in the league – W1 D2 L6.
But Jesse Marsch’s side enjoyed a positive transfer window in January, rebuffing Leicester’s interest in winger Jack Harrison and the acquisition of United States international Weston McKennie.
Leeds will also have to neutralize information Brennan Johnson if they want to have a chance of bringing the three points back to West Yorkshire.
The 21-year-old striker has four goals in his last three Premier League appearances for Forest (two goals and two assists), two-thirds of total contributions all season.
Forest will enter the match after a very busy deadline, with Newcastle United’s Jonjo Shelvely and Atletico Madrid’s Brazilian defender Fellipe both announced by the club on deadline day.
They join former Real Madrid and current PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas and former West Ham and Swansea winger Andre Ayew.
Will Leeds end their winless run, or will Steve Cooper’s men continue their promising new year?
talkSPORT EDGE takes a look…
- Nottingham Forest have won their last two home league games against Leeds, last winning three in a row against them at the City Ground in May 1991.
- Leeds have won just two of their last 15 league games against Nottingham Forest (D6 L7), with those wins back-to-back in January and August 2017.
- Leeds are winless in their last 12 away games against Nottingham Forest (D7 L5), with this first such visit since a 1-1 draw in October 1998. Indeed, Leeds have never won at away to Forest in the top flight. without Don Revie either in the starting lineup (1959) or as a coach (five wins between 1966 and 1971).
- Since returning to the Premier League in 2020, Leeds have won all five of their away games against promoted sides by an aggregate score of 14-3. These wins represent 31% of all their away league wins over the last three seasons (5/16).
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last four Premier League games (W2 D2), the last having a longest unbeaten streak in the top flight between February and November 1995 (25 games). They are unbeaten in their last six home games, alternating between a draw and a win each time.
- Nottingham Forest have had fewer shots on target than any other Premier League side this season (64), while only West Ham (9.8) and Wolves (7.7) are underachieving when it comes to expected goals by a wider margin than Forest (7.4 – 16 goals from 23.4 xG).
- Leeds have had more pressing streaks (310) and allow their opponents the fewest assists per defensive action (PPDA – 9.8) in the Premier League this season. One of their key players for that is Brenden Aaronson, who has applied more pressure than any other player in the league this season (654).
- No player has received more balls from a specific team-mate in the Premier League this season than Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson (6 from Morgan Gibbs-White).
