Pundit Watch

Sky Sports pundit shares verdict on ‘cup final’ between Nottingham Forest and Leeds United

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Leeds United face a crucial match this weekend as they travel to Nottingham Forest, with both sides wanting a win to move further away from the relegation zone.

Forest’s form in 2023 has taken a real jump and allowed them to move up to 13th in the Premier League, three clear of Leeds in the process as they sit 15th.

Both sides might be outside the relegation zone, but neither position is comfortable with respect to the second half of the season, especially with how the sides strengthened in January.

A win for either team is a massive confidence booster here, knowing what it could do for the shape of the relegation battle going forward.

On top of that, it’s not a game that either side can really afford to lose or even drop points in, with not many games able to be taken for granted this season, especially for Leeds for who struggled against those around them so far.

However, Paul Merson cannot separate Leeds or the Reds this weekend, who is expecting a fourth draw in six meetings between the two sides.

Predicting a 1-1 scoreline, the Sky Sports pundit said this:

“This should be a brilliant game. If Nottingham Forest win this match, they could be seven points clear of the relegation zone. We’re talking about teams that win about five Premier League games all season, so that’s a huge gap.

“This game is like a cup final. Leeds play well and dominate football matches, but they don’t win Premier League games. They played very well against Villa and Brentford but didn’t get much out of their performances. They need to start converting these games into victories.

“This is a game that neither team can afford to lose, and I wouldn’t be surprised if either team won this game. It’s a hard one to call, and I’m going to sit on the fence and go with a draw.”

Sportskeeda

Forest v Leeds predictions?

Forest win

Forest win

Draw

Draw

Leeds win

Leeds win

It’s very hard to pick a winner in this game, because Forest are in good form and have strengthened in the window, but a good Leeds performance blows away any team in the bottom half.

The fact is, we haven’t seen many of those displays for Leeds as of yet and Marsch needs to start producing them, otherwise he’ll pay with his job.

Forest has never been a great place for Leeds to visit, and we’re going to need to amend a terrible run of form at the City Ground this weekend.

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February 2023

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.