Nottingham Forest

We asked for your thoughts after Friday's Premier League game between Leeds and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

Leeds fans

Olivia: It was a great game to watch. Leeds showed so much flare and discipline. Really well managed and players giving everything for each other. I like the way James Justin stood up for Brenden Aaaronson when there was a bad tackle - no violence, just 'what do you think you're doing?' to the Forest player. The Leeds team is obviously enjoying their football. It's great to see Dan James back. Could have scored more and were creating lots but three is plenty... for now. Loved the crowd atmosphere. Bring on more evening games!

Peter: A superb result which was so very important. The attitude of every Leeds player was fantastic as always, working their socks of for each other. Played excellent football and it was a well-deserved result. We can't relax though as there's still a long way to go. In Daniel Farke we trust. MOT.

James: Farke has a point to prove after his previous experience taking Norwich City into the Premier League didn't end well. This time round with Leeds, he's hungry to show he's got what it takes and he's instilled a confidence in these Leeds players, who are also out to prove they have what it takes to be in this division. On current showings, it looks like they have.

Andy: Taking into account last week's result and the magnitude of Friday's game, I thought every player managed the occasion and pressure fantastically and left everything on the pitch, showing the fight and composure you need to survive in this brutal league. Special mention to our manager, who continues to impress, learn and evolve into a very astute and clever tactician. Roll on, Chelsea!

Forest fans

Tom: Stefan Ortega should never have started. Angus Gunn should have been between the sticks from the start. Don't understand starting Morato when the guy is clearly a liability in defence. Should have taken the £15m for him. And not starting Omari Hutchinson or Lorenzo Lucca when that partnership created our goal? Something needs to change on Wednesday, for sure.

Peter: Forest were inept and woeful. No plan on how to win the game, no fight or ingenuity on how not to lose the game. Sean Dyche looks out of ideas and we appear determined to be relegation candidates at all costs. Something needs to change.

Bob: Absolutely dreadful performance. Second best in every aspect of the game. Forest made Leeds look like world-beaters. No passion, urgency or energy. Embarrassing.

Simon: Forest had an off day and missed Neco Williams and Murillo. Morato gives possession away far too easily and I think it's time up for him. On the plus side, Lucca looks an interesting addition up front. He scored on his debut and he's a big distraction to the opposition defenders just because of his height. Let's see what the next couple of matches bring.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nicolas Dominguez took his frustration out on Nottingham Forest's water bottles after he was substituted in the 54th minute.

The midfielder's actions - booting the bottles by the dugout - would have spoken for the entire squad and coaching staff.

It was a wet, wretched night at Elland Road which - come the end of the season - may be viewed as pivotal in the survival race.

Forest, like Leeds, had the chance to move nine points clear of West Ham, but the deficit could be worryingly down to just three on Saturday.

It was not just a missed opportunity, but one they failed to show up for. Bar a 10-minute spell in the first half - where they had a few chances - they were out-thought, outplayed and outfought.

Even skipper Morgan Gibbs-White was replaced in the second period, to signify Forest's struggles, and not even a pitchside discussion with boss Sean Dyche seemed to convince him it was the right decision.

Wins at West Ham and Brentford had kept Forest clear of the bottom three, but the danger of the drop still looms large after this disappointing display and defeat.

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche, speaking to Sky Sports: "The killer for us was giving away the goal. We responded somewhat and then they scored a second. I said at half-time we've got to rethink. Then we conceded really quickly and the third goal is awful as well. There's no qualms about the result - they were better than us.

"We've had late changes, which is not perfect. You've got to do the basics and we didn't do them. The goals are awful for our standards. You can't give away chances like that at this level. The mentality was good at the end, we were still pushing, but it would have been getting out of jail. Our performance wasn't there."

On playing against the Elland Road atmosphere: "We all know their form and what you've got to do. We've dealt with other teams better than we've dealt with them. We were turning the game and it's just such a poor first goal."

On whether he rues missed chances at 0-0: "That's the truth of football. It's ifs and ands after the game. We had two really good chances and didn't put them away - that can happen. I'm just so frustrated with the goal. The basic principles went out the window."

On the impact of having to make a late change: "It's not the perfect scenario when you lose a centre-half late on. All the subs did fine when they came on. There's positives in the way they reacted and we kept going at the end, but the negatives for me are three awful goals."

On needing to move on: "It's always move on quickly. There's been a lot of good work here and that's a reminder that if you don't keep your foot on the gas, you can get hurt at this level."

Hear more from Dyche on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Nottingham Forest have lost two of their past three Premier League games against newly promoted opponents, more than their previous 15 such games since their promotion in 2022.

• Aged 19 years and 269 days, Zach Abbott became just the third teenager to start a Premier League game for Forest, after Marlon Harewood against West Ham in 1998 and Chris Doig against Coventry City in 1999.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Leeds' performance

What did you make of Forest's display?

Come back on Saturday for a selection of your replies

Boss Daniel Farke makes just one change for Leeds for their crucial game with fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.

The injured Anton Stach drops out with Noah Okafor replacing him.

James Justin is fit to start after a toe injury while Dan James is on the bench after a hamstring injury along with Jaka Bijol, who has been nursing his own hamstring problem.

Lukas Nmecha also returns to the squad but Facundo Buonanotte misses out.

Leeds XI: Darlow, Bogle, Gudmundsson, Rodon, Struijk, Justin, Ampadu, Gruev, Aaronson, Okafor, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Perri, Bijol, Bornauw, Tanaka, Longstaff, Piroe, James, Gnonto, Nmecha

Stefan Ortega makes his Nottingham Forest debut with Matz Sels out with a groin injury.

The goalkeeper joined from Manchester City this week and is one of three changes for Forest.

Morato replaces the suspended Neco Williams while defender Zach Abbott makes his full Premier League debut with Murillo missing from the squad.

Nottingham Forest XI: Ortega, Morato, Abbott, Milenkovic, Aina, Sangare, Anderson, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Jesus

Subs: Gunn, Yates, McAtee, Awoniyi, Ndoye, Lucca, Hutchinson, Jair Cunha, Netz

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

The result of this game between two relegation-threatened sides, currently separated only by goals scored, could do much for the mood in both camps. A win for either team on Friday night would open up a nine-point buffer above the relegation zone. Lose, and that gap could be down to three by Saturday evening.

Both sides are in decent form, with Leeds only losing two of their past 11 league games and Nottingham Forest enjoying a season's best four-match unbeaten run.

Leeds upping the ante

Leeds manager Daniel Farke was phlegmatic after his side's first defeat in six home games last weekend, a 4-0 thumping by league leaders Arsenal, and he believes 12 more points will be enough to stay up.

"Three wins and three draws, six positive results from 14 games," he said on Thursday. "I would back my players to get six positive results."

He has every reason to be confident. During their considerable improvement over the past two months, Leeds have beaten Chelsea at Elland Road and held Liverpool, twice, and Manchester United to draws.

Since their change of formation to 3-5-2 from the start of that run, Leeds have significantly increased their work-rate and intensity – which were already high beforehand.

They're covering almost 2km more per game from the beginning of December onwards – for an average of 115.8km – and are closing down their opponents with greater regularity. The Whites rank second in the Premier League for both metrics.

That high tempo is likely to be aided by the enhanced atmosphere at a night match. Leeds have won all four of their Premier League kick-offs at 7.30pm or later this season, with the highlight being a 4-1 thumping of Crystal Palace before Christmas when the energy of the crowd translated into on-pitch dominance.

Farke admits: "I'm a football romantic, I love the atmosphere under the floodlights at Elland Road when everyone is buzzing. The good record is no guarantee but we hope for a very special atmosphere again."

Improving Forest's unwanted record

Nottingham Forest have taken eight points from their past four matches, including consecutive away wins. They came from behind in November's reverse fixture against Leeds to earn a first Premier League victory under head coach Sean Dyche.

It means Forest are looking to complete the league double over Leeds for only the second time in the top flight, after 1995-96.

However, while Forest have the best head-to-head points tally among the current bottom six sides, with 12 points and only one defeat from seven meetings, they hold an unwanted record at Elland Road.

In 25 top-flight fixtures there, Nottingham Forest have never kept a clean sheet. It's the second longest such away streak in top-flight history, behind Birmingham City's run of conceding in all 37 visits to Blackburn Rovers.

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests.

His guest for week 25 is Gladiators star Apollo, real name Alex Gray, who supports Newcastle.

Sutton says: "I am at this game and we are getting to the stage where it really matters how the teams fighting relegation do in their head-to-head-battles like this.

"I think the bottom two, Wolves and Burnley are down, but you don't know what West Ham will do from here.

"There are signs they may click, so with Leeds and Nottingham Forest both on 26 points, this is big for both of them.

"From a Leeds point of view, their home form has carried them a lot this season.

"They got walloped at Elland Road by Arsenal last weekend but they just have to put that behind them for this game because, as the season has gone on, they have proved that they can be competitive.

"Forest's away form is actually better than their home form - they have picked up 14 points on the road compared to 12 at the City Ground, in the same number of games.

"Sean Dyche's side were comfortable with 10 men against Crystal Palace last time out and they have won their past two away games too, against Brentford and the Hammers. Overall, they are unbeaten in four league games, which is the longest they have gone without losing all season.

"As you can see, I've looked into all the stats for you - but will my research help me get my prediction right? Probably not.

"This is going to be a very tight affair, and Forest won't worry about having much possession, but scoring goals has been a bigger problem for them because they have missed Chris Wood badly - only Wolves have scored fewer than them.

"Forest have brought in 6ft 7in striker Lorenzo Lucca on loan from Napoli to try and fill the gap left by Wood's long-term knee injury but he has not been in great form in Serie A this season.

"So, after a great deal of thought, I am going to back Leeds at home - although now I've said that it will probably end up as a 1-1 draw.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Apollo's prediction: 3-2

AI's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nottingham Forest defender Nicolas Domínguez speaking about managerial changes on the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football: "It's difficult because everybody has a different philosophy in the game. Now, I believe we're similar to [former manager] Nuno [Espirito Santos], which is good for us.

"We need to stick together, the group is good and the squad has a good feeling", he said.

"This is important because this year the expectation is different because of a good year last year.

"It's difficult, but it's important we stay as a unit and together. The most important thing is playing game by game."

Speaking about the style under Dyche, Dominguez added: "In my personal opinion, he's the most I have run. In this league you have to run, and after win the ball we try to play.

"Tactically with him we are a little bit more compact in shape and defend well."

Listen to the full episode here

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It could come down to fine margins at Elland Road.

Nottingham Forest travel to Leeds knowing the victors would move nine points clear of the Premier League's relegation zone.

They are level on 26 points, six ahead of West Ham, and on goal different - with 16th placed Leeds holding the slender advantage having scored seven more.

But the winners will hold a commanding lead at least until the Hammers' trip to Burnley on Saturday as Daniel Farke and Sean Dyche look to take a giant leap to safety.

There will be nerves and expectation in equal measure on Friday night and one mistake could make the difference - which is where Leeds have the edge.

The hosts have made the fewest errors leading to a shot [11] in the Premier League this season and no team has made fewer mistakes leading to a goal than Leeds' three - Arsenal, Bournemouth, Manchester City and Manchester United have also made three.

Meanwhile, only Tottenham [28] have made more errors leading to a shot than Forest [27] while only four sides have made more leading to a goal than Forest's six.

Although, despite Leeds' stats, they have the worst save percentage and have conceded seven more goals than expected given the number and quality of chances they have faced.

Only Wolves [+12.4] and Bournemouth [+8] have underperformed their xG by more.

Both teams still tipped for survival

Forest have not been as solid at the back as Leeds - they have given up 20 more shots than this weekend's opponents and only Burnley [48.2] and West Ham [41.1] have given up more xG against in the league

While Leeds have conceded far more than expected [42], Forest have conceded fewer [35], mainly due to Matz Sels in goal although the Belgium international is likely to miss out this evening with a groin injury.

Yet both teams are tipped to stay up ahead of the current bottom three of West Ham, Burnley and Wolves.

The bottom two of Burnley and Wolves are rated to be all but down according to Opta, with West Ham having a 83.3% change of relegation to the Championship.

That is despite only Wolves [15] scoring fewer goals than Forest's 24.

But that is mainly due to Forest not taking their chances - they have had more shots than eight other teams but only Wolves [6.7%] have a worse shot conversion rate than their 8.5%.

Leeds have also struggled to finish their chances with only four teams, including Forest and Wolves, below their 10.4%.

Former Nottingham Forest defender James Perch discussing transfers on the latest episode of Shut Up And Show More Football: "If you're the selling club you know that clubs are really desperate for players [in January].

"So Celtic would of know Forest are desperate for midfielders, and can almost name their price."

Forest were linked with a move for Celtic's Arne Engels, and made three bids, the last worth up to £25m.

"I think everyone is petrified of breaking the PSR rules" added Perch. "It has such a hold on clubs now, who would usually spend £50m or £100m on players.

"Now, they're being more cautious to avoid a points deduction."

Get more debate on Forest's transfer business on the full episode here

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest are ready for a pivotal weekend in the Premier League's survival battle.

Forest will go nine points clear of the relegation zone if they beat Leeds at Elland Road on Friday.

They are level on points with 16th placed Leeds with third bottom West Ham also travelling to second bottom Burnley, adding to potential drama on Saturday.

Forest have won their last two league away games, a dramatic and controversial late 2-1 at West Ham before an impressive 2-0 victory at Brentford.

Along with Sunday's 1-1 draw with 10 men against Crystal Palace they have kept clear of the 18th-placed Hammers and boss Sean Dyche knows the importance of the weekend.

"There's so much noise about football they [the players] don't need me to keep reminding them about the games," said the former Burnley and Everton manager.

"I have spoken endlessly about my mentality and what I'm trying to get into the players and I think they are absorbing it.

"Every game is big, every game we should go into believing we can win, every game we can be competitive in and if we play well we can win.

"We have shown really good signs of this. Tottenham, at Anfield. It's not easy but this is the mentality I want.

"The noise can be the noise but you see through that with your pure mentality to deliver. We're seeing signs of that getting there. If you can stay focused on the next game it brings that consistency."

Leeds' record at Elland Road has kept them afloat in the relegation battle, losing just three of their 12 games.

Their last home game was a 4-0 thumping by Arsenal and other defeats have come to Aston Villa at Tottenham but they would be comfortably mid-table just going on their form at Elland Road.

"It doesn't make you infallible or win every game," said Dyche on Leeds' home form. "We're coming up ready to play and with a commitment to win a game.

"We have shown that lately, at Brentford and West Ham, different for different reasons. There's some really good signs of our mentality."

Nottingham Forest's England international Elliot Anderson, 23, tops Manchester United's list of midfield targets. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Leeds United at Elland Road (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On Team news: "Pretty good, Callum [Hudson-Odi] has a knock on his shoulder, he landed awkwardly, but it's nothing too serious even though it's a painful one. We will have to make a decision on that, not today but over the next 36 hours."

• Dyche believes there is a "rough chance" goalkeeper Mat Selz will be available for Friday: "We're waiting over the next 48 hours to get some advice on it, so we'll take an opinion over the next few days before I think about the length of it. We have a chance, but we'll see how it settles."

• On signing "up and coming" defender Luca Netz in the January transfer window: " He's a young, up and coming player, who adds balance because we are limited in that position. He's one amongst a number of players here I think who have been brought in for a 'what's next' type of thing but that doesn't mean he can't play now."

• On new goalkeeper Stefan Ortega: "He's a keeper that we have liked from history. I have always said that we have great goalkeepers at this football club. John getting injured has allowed the chance for Ortega to come in. He's enjoying it so far and has mixed in with the group."

• However, Dyche said Forest also missed out on transfer targets: "There was a number of situations that we felt like we could operate in but I did say before it's not just targeting players, it's getting deals done which isn't an easy process but overall, we have talented players here."

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Everybody knows the January transfer window is not a good time for shopping. But, like the Boxing Day sales, that does not stop expensive, impulse buys.

Nottingham Forest are past masters at the supermarket-sweep logic of deadline day. Whether it is bringing in numbers for the sake of it, spending vast sums on transfer fees or wages, or simply scattergun bids for players we do not need - the Reds have done it all and more.

Except this time around, it was a fairly sensible transfer window. Admittedly, given our position in the league, we probably expected more activity. And you have to wonder what might have happened if just a few of the players we were seriously linked with had arrived.

As it is, managing to return two loan players who, frankly, seemed to be past their best, made a lot of financial sense and made room in our named squads for both the Premier League and the Europa League. Replacing Oleksandr Zinchenko with Luca Netz seems a low-risk, high-reward move.

We will see how Douglas Luiz fares at Aston Villa but perhaps the only question mark is whether we needed another midfielder. Moves for Davide Frattesi, Hayden Hackney and Arne Engels came to nothing but, at the business end of the season, our first-choice pairing of Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare are going to be hard to shift.

Sending Arnaud Kalimuendo out on loan puzzled many but bringing in Lorenzo Lucca until the end of the season hopefully proves a smart move. Scoring is evidently one of our biggest problems this campaign and, without Chris Wood, big-money moves for Jean-Philippe Mateta and Jorgen Strand Larsen could easily have gone either way.

And finally, Stefan Ortega on a five-month deal for goalkeeper cover, with John Victor out for the season, seems sensible business.

Now we wait to see how the next few months pan out and hopefully the summer offers a better opportunity to properly assess the squad's needs - rather than the January sales.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Nottingham Forest have done the following business on deadline day:

• Left-back Luca Netz has joined Nottingham Forest from Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach for an undisclosed fee on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

• Nottingham Forest forward Esapa Osong has joined League Two Fleetwood Town on an initial loan deal that has the option to become permanent at the end of the season.

• Northampton Town have signed midfielder Kyle McAdam and defender Ben Hammond on loan from Nottingham Forest. The pair, both 21, have joined the Cobblers for the rest of the season

This is your Nottingham Forest page. Hit follow if you're on the website and you'll see more Forest content when you visit us. On the app? Hit the bell icon and select news alerts. We'll then send you the best bits.

Follow the transfer deadline day live text

Image source, Getty Images

Left-back Luca Netz says he is "ready for a new challenge" after joining Nottingham Forest from Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach.

The 22-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee until the summer of 2030, having featured 124 times for the German club.

Netz came through the academy at Hertha Berlin before moving to Monchengladbach in 2021 and has scored three goals and provided 18 assists during his time there.

Speaking to club media, the Germany Under-21 international said: "Nottingham Forest is a great club with a unique history. The chance to play for this club in the Premier League immediately excited me.

"I am ready for a new challenge and the next step in my career. I am extremely motivated to get started here and am incredibly excited about the first training sessions and matches at the City Ground in front of our fans."

Forest global head of football Edu Gaspar added: "A part of the model is to add talented young players to the squad that can grow with us. Despite his age, Luca has played well over 100 times at the highest level in Germany, so we are signing a player with a good blend of potential and experience.

"With the ability to play on the left side, Luca brings balance to our team and we are all looking forward to see him settle in Nottingham and contribute for the rest of the season and beyond."

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have failed with an approach for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.

The Premier League side contacted the Championship promotion-chasers on Sunday but it was immediately knocked back.

Boro are level on points with Coventry City at the top of the Championship as they look to return to the top flight for the first time since 2016-17.

Hackney turned down a move to Ipswich Town in the summer after Middlesbrough agreed a £20m deal.

The 23-year-old was happy to bide his time at Boro, having come through the academy and made 145 appearances, and choose his next move carefully.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked you what still needs to happen before the transfer window closes at 19:00 GMT on Monday.

Here are some of your comments:

Tom: Some premier league experience please, to balance all the young blood Edu is bringing in, with the hope of churning a profit. Look at Xhaka at Sunderland, Henderson at Brentford, absolute point-securers!

Rob: Forest desperately need a creative midfielder to take the load off Gibbs-White and another wide player as the summer signings just haven't been good enough so yes creative players required. Defensively sound but in some games look like they could plat all night and wouldn't score of we played all day.

Steve: A left back and a centre midfielder. Not convinced we need another striker if Wood can get fit and Lucca can hit the ground running.

John: The squad is reasonably good now we have secured another striker on loan. We could do with another left back to allow consistent performer Neco Williams a break or coverage if he gets injured or suspended like he has done today.

Billy: We desperately need cover at full back, with a left footer an urgent issue. If either Williams or Aina get injured, we're in it up to our necks. With a backup GK added, it'd just be great if we could do nothing stupid like signing another eleven players or smashing our transfer record with a big money signing. Let's steady the ship.

Mark: Given our spending in the Summer, I'm not sure a £40 Larsson or Mateta signing is what we need. We've just brought big Lucca in upfront on loan, sensible as we can have a look before deciding to buy. Without Wood we are short of options up front but not we have Jesus, Lucca and Taiwo to pick from we'll surely have enough to last the season. A centre mid to replace Luiz and more full back cover might be needed but get through to the end of the season and look again rather than spend money now at the over inflated January prices.

Steve: A goalkeeper a recognised left wing-back and a proven goalscorer, but that has been the same since promotion!

Ask us questions about Nottingham Forest and we'll put them to our experts

Today is the final chance of the season for your Premier League team to do transfer business.

The window closes at 19:00 GMT, meaning teams - and fans - can avoid the usual late-night transfer scramble.

It has already been a busy window - for some teams anyway - but whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our live text coverage throughout the day here

Get alerts and keep up to date with all the latest news, insight and fan views for your club