Nottingham Forest

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest and Leeds United meet in the Premier League for just the third time this century. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's match.

Forest have not won a league match since beating Brentford on the opening weekend but can take heart from their excellent record against Leeds at the City Ground.

They have not lost a top-flight home game against the Yorkshire side since November 1971, when current manager Sean Dyche was just five months old.

Dyche earned his first Premier League point since taking charge in last weekend's 2-2 draw with Manchester United and said the performance was a "marked improvement", particularly in the second half.

But Forest were caught out twice from corners (the first awarded controversially), taking their total number of goals conceded from set-pieces to nine – a joint-league high prior to the latest round of fixtures.

Dyche will have to get his new side better organised defensively if they are to move away from the relegation zone.

Forest have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since beating United on 1 April, and their run of 18 consecutive games without a shut-out is the longest by a current top-flight club.

Leeds' struggles on the road

A Leeds win would send them eight points clear of their opponents but Daniel Farke's side have struggled away from home this season and were well beaten at Brighton last weekend.

Farke conceded the Seagulls deserved their 3-0 victory, acknowledging "it was not our best game offensively" whilst adding "it happens sometimes that the attack doesn't have the best of days".

The problem for Farke is those bad days have been regular occurrences away from Elland Road.

The Whites have conceded the opening goal in all five of their top-flight matches on the road this season, failing to score in all but one of those fixtures.

The three away goals they have netted all came in a 15-minute flurry immediately before half-time in September's 3-1 win at Wolves, when they scored with three consecutive shots.

Aside from that purple patch at Molineux, their other 40 attempts on the road have all been unsuccessful.

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Leeds United at the City Ground (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Dyche says it's "improbable" Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi will be back for the weekend, but says there's a "stronger chance" they'll be fit in the coming weeks.

• He admits the international break has come at a good time because of the injuries they have. Dyche added: "It gives us that window without games. It doesn't mean they are going to miraculously get fit but it just means there's no games to miss. If there is such a thing as speed in these situations then we'll try to do that, of course. But the body can only heal at a certain rate."

• Dyche says having "that killer edge" in front of goal is "a constant work in progress" and believes having more bodies back to fitness will help. He added: "We haven't got magic dust. You can't suddenly make players who are not used to having that killer edge score 20 a season. It's not that easy or else we'd all be doing it."

• The Forest boss says he has seen "positive signs" in recent performances that they can create better chances.

• He says dealing with being in the bottom three from a mental perspective is "part of being a professional footballer" and that "it's a process" to establish yourself as a top Premier League club. Dyche said: "When I was on the outside looking at it and fans were telling me, 'we're going to do this and we're going to do that', I said 'I don't think it's that easy'. Once I saw them get into Europe, I said, 'trust me, it's not going to be that easy'."

• On progress, Dyche says: "There's a lot of work that needs to be done. That's what we're doing and that's what we intend to do."

• Looking ahead to the weekend, Dyche says he has to be "aware" of Leeds but isn't "worried" about them.

How to follow the Premier League on the BBC this weekend

Listen to commentary of Nottingham Forest v Leeds United on BBC Radio 5 Live

Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

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Overall, the feeling will be one of frustration from Nottingham Forest that they were unable to break through against fairly weak opposition - notwithstanding, of course, the fact Forest have plenty of injury and selection issues just at the moment.

It is hoped - certainly in the case of those unavailable for the Europa League but available for the Premier League - that will be alleviated somewhat for the game against Leeds. The Reds were without 12 players for Thursday's game, but I think they will look back on it with a little bit of disappointment.

In terms of performance, you can look at it and say: "Well, they hit the woodwork, they had one cleared off the line, they missed a penalty." So you could argue they did enough to win the game.

But perhaps that lack of cutting edge in the final third is what really let them down. In the end, they will leave Graz frustrated at only getting one point.

However, it is one more point in the right direction and a point away from home in Europe amid a frenetic atmosphere. It was played in a little bit of a cauldron.

I think Forest will kick themselves, though. Perhaps that is the way to reflect on it - a story of missed opportunities.

Listen to full commentary on every Nottingham Forest game, and In The Game every weeknight from 18:00, on BBC Radio Nottingham.

And subscribe to the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views after Nottingham Forest were forced to settle for a goalless draw against Sturm Graz in the Europa League.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Ben: Forest were always in control but really struggled to make it count. A lack of care in the final third hampered them, with many players lacking match fitness and finesse. However, they played very positive football, always looking for the forward pass, and a clean sheet is as valuable as gold dust at the moment. It's not a bad result and certainly a sign of progress.

Andy: People will say look at the positives - we got a clean sheet and made a few chances in the first half, but we need to be performing much better than this over the season. Sturm Graz were very poor and it reflects badly on Forest that we couldn't beat them.

Jim: We need to get out of Europe as fast as we can to concentrate on the Premier League. We are in a serious relegation fight which I don't think we can win based on what I've seen so far this season. Worrying times ahead!

Nigel: A frustrating night with Forest rueing missed chances again. What it also showed is that our squad depth is simply not good enough to compete on two fronts, especially with the summer signings looking out of their depth.

Steve: It's quite clear that Gibbs-White isn't enjoying his time at Forest. That statement isn't based on his very poor performance last night, it's based on his general body language and poor performances this season. It's time Dyche had the bottle to leave him out of the matchday squad, despite what Marinakis has to say about his show pony!

Evan: Bring back Angeball. What on earth is going on with the players just forgetting how to pass the ball after only three games with the anti-football messiah himself - Sean Dyche? We look terrible.

Image source, Getty Images

England boss Thomas Tuchel has named his 25-man squad for the final time this year ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

The Three Lions have already secured qualification.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Alex Scott (Bournemouth), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche has been speaking to TNT Sports following the goalless draw with Sturm Graz: "Particularly in first half, we just weren't dominant, not just with the ball but also in terms of dominating the chances we created and the quality of chances we created.

"Other than the penalty, which is obviously a great chance, we just didn't capitalise on the chances we had from set-pieces and some of those final moments.

"I'm more frustrated in a sense of not scoring a goal because we had a very dominant performance with the ball in the first half and were also creating good chances. If you take those chances, the game opens up and you fancy yourselves to go and score again.

"There were some really good performances, but I come away frustrated overall because I thought we were the strongest side."

On making seven changes to his starting XI: "Players need minutes. They need minutes to get match fit.

"Credit to Sturm Graz - they had to work hard as well. They stuck at it and the crowd stood behind them, so I'm not discounting their part in the game at all."

Listen to Dyche speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Dyche is just the fourth English manager to keep a clean sheet in each of his first two Europa League matches (from 2009-10 onwards), alongside Alan Pardew, Gary Neville and Graham Potter.

The latest Shut Up And Show More Football podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Nottingham's David Jackson and Colin Fray are joined by former Forest midfielder Steve Hodge out in Austria to reflect on the Reds' goalless draw with Sturm Graz in the Europa League.

Also hear from head coach Sean Dyche on his frustrations around "the lack of killer edge" his side showed at Merkur Arena.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

With striker Igor Jesus suspended and Chris Wood injured, Arnaud Kalimuendo made his first start for Forest since signing for a reported £26m from Rennes in the summer.

His first involvement came 10 minutes in when he had the chance to take a touch, turn and shoot but instead opted for a failed lay-off to McAtee.

The 23-year-old had just seven touches in the first half, despite Forest having 55% of possession.

Kalimuendo was found with a defence-splitting pass by Neco Williams in the second half, but his failure to get a shot away perhaps highlighted a lack of recent game time.

Dyche gave another summer signing the chance to impress in Austria, but like Kalimuendo, McAtee failed to deliver.

The former Manchester City midfielder was making his sixth Forest appearance since his summer move and should have opened the scoring inside 10 minutes but he put his effort inches wide.

There were glimpses of the talent McAtee possesses but his 70% pass accuracy summed up his night.

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

Get in touch with your views here

Come back to this page on Friday to find a selection of your replies

Here is how Austrian Bundesliga champions Sturm Graz line-up from the start.

Sturm Graz XI: Christensen, Karic, Geyrhofer, Aiwu, Malic, Stankovic, Hodl, Horvat, Kiteishvili, Rozga, Malone.

Subs: Mitchell, Oermann, Kayombo, Jatta, Beck, Lavalee, Hierlander, Grgic, Bignetti, Khudyakov.

Sean Dyche has made seven changes to the Nottingham Forest side that drew 2-2 with Manchester United on Saturday.

Just Neco Williams, Nicolo Savona, Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic keep their places in the team.

Nottingham Forest XI: John, Williams, Morato, Sangare, Gibbs-White, Kalimuendo, Dominguez, Yates, McAtee, Milenkovic, Savona.

Subs: Sels, Willow, Murillo, Ndoye, Boly, Abbott, Whitehall, Thompson, Sinclair, Hammond.

There are three Premier League teams in European action on Thursday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Sturm Graz v Nottingham Forest (17:45)

• Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv

• Crystal Palace v AZ Alkmaar

Kick-off times 20:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

David Jackson
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

Image source, Getty Images

When Sean Dyche was speaking to us pitchside at Graz's Merkur Arena on Wednesday night, he mentioned he had brought young players with the squad "as a necessity", which begs the question: how has it come to this already?

Forest spent about £200m in the summer, receiving roughly half that amount in sales, with the idea of building a squad capable of competing on several fronts. So how are they short of numbers already?

Well, let's look at the strikers. Chris Wood is injured, Igor Jesus is suspended (after being booked in all three of Forest's European games), and Taiwo Awoniyi was not named in the Europa League squad by Nuno Espirito Santo, which leaves you with one fit senior striker for the meeting with Sturm Graz - Arnaud Kalimuendo.

Similarly, with the wingers, Omari Hutchinson was excluded from the squad by Nuno, and now the Reds have injuries to both Callum Hudson-Odoi and Dilane Bakwa, leaving Dan Ndoye as the only senior out-and-out winger.

The other fact worth noting is that you can name 12 subs for a Europa League game, so most clubs would quickly be resorting to young players once they have a few injuries anyway.

But, with Forest having one eye on a massive Premier League game against Leeds United at the City Ground on Sunday, the last thing they need is any more injuries picked up later.

Dyche is juggling that with the fact that a victory of any kind, against any opposition in any competition, would also be very welcome, with Forest having won just once anywhere since opening day.

We'll be with you on BBC Radio Nottingham from 16:00 GMT with full commentary at 17:45

And subscribe to the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

With the countdown to the Celebrity Traitors final under way, we asked you which Nottingham Forest player or manager - past or present - would make the best traitor and faithful.

Here are some of your comments:

Toby: Is it too soon to say Ange Postecoglou would 100% be a traitor? Neco Williams 100% a faithful, along with Ryan Yates. On the fence about Morgan Gibbs-White, I must say.

Phil: Biggest faithful - Bob McKinlay. 682 appearances over 18 years. Traitor - Pierre van Hooijdonk. Went on strike because he thought he was bigger than the club.

Kevin: The obvious traitor is Van Hooijdonk and that doesn't need much explanation. A talented player but no loyalty whatsoever. For faithful, I would probably go for Steve Chettle. Nottingham lad, came through the ranks and didn't really want to leave.

Rob: Nuno Espirito Santo would be ideally suited to being a traitor. He has even got a decent track record - earn the trust of those around you, dazzle them with flattery and a brief wave of success, then... bam! Leave them in the lurch and move on to someone new.

Paddy: Forest faithful would have to be Yates, our captain and local lad. Doubtful we would ever get a bid that might test his faith though. Traitor seems harsh, but Gibbs-White's dalliance with Spurs left a sour taste in some mouths and he hasn't performed at his best since.

You can watch the final of The Celebrity Traitors live from 21:00 GMT on BBC iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest's European campaign continues on Thursday night as they face Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Europa League, but Sean Dyche's squad is facing a serious test of depth.

Speaking on BBC Radio Nottingham, Forest commentator Colin Fray outlined the scale of the selection challenge and the balancing act Dyche faces as he looks to keep their European hopes alive.

Dyche's preparations for the trip to Austria have been complicated by an extensive list of absentees, with several key players unavailable due to injury, suspension, or squad restriction.

"Everybody knew when Forest qualified for Europe that it would be a juggling act this season," Fray said. "And at the moment, they have got as many points from three Europa League games as they have in the entire of the Premier League season.

"But he (Sean Dyche) has got issues tonight, and you could tell that was on his mind a little bit. He's got at least 10 players unavailable tonight due to either not being in the squad, being suspended or due to injuries.

"And not included in that 10 is Elliot Anderson, who's not amongst the party of players who were at the ground last night. Potentially, 11 players unavailable for him tonight."

Listen on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams has urged the team to avoid "regret" and "kick on" in Europe.

The Reds face Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday and speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray, Williams reflected on a squad that knows the urgency of the moment but is eager to prove it belongs on both domestic and European stages.

The Reds currently sit 17th in the Europa League table after one win, one draw and one defeat, and with a faltering domestic form that includes six losses in their opening 10 Premier League games.

"It's been a mixed set, obviously very different opponents, but we are ready for it," said Williams.

"Three games in now, there's no time to adjust to the games, teams and the atmosphere. We've really got to kick on now, and I think it's so important that we start ticking off these points because we don't want to look back on regret of coming to places like this and not performing and not getting any points.

"This is not a tournament that we just want to be a part of. We are in this tournament to win it, and we all believe that we will as long as we are performing and doing everything the manager says, tactics-wise, sticking to the game plan, and just giving it our all.

"We know as a team that we can do better, and we will do better. It's just about the basics for me - you have to work hard, you have to give absolutely everything out on the pitch."

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest boss Sean Dyche says he expects an injury sustained by Douglas Luiz to not be a "quick situation" and has urged his side to attack Europe with conviction when they face Sturm Graz.

Thursday's fixture offers a timely opportunity for Forest to steady themselves after a turbulent start to the season that has seen them struggle domestically, sitting 19th in the Premier League and with one win in their opening three games in Europe.

Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray, Dyche stressed the importance of balancing the club's European ambitions with the ongoing battle for league form, insisting that his players must embrace both challenges with the same intensity.

Dyche said: "We can see what's happening in the Premier League; there's work to do there. There is in this, of course, everyone wants to be in Europe, including Nottingham Forest. We want to be taking these games on, and it is important that we get a good performance out of the players. We want to come here and win, of course.

"Everybody wanted Nottingham Forest back in Europe, and there is a lot of good feeling about Nottingham Forest and their history in Europe, and we certainly want to give a good show of ourselves.

"You've got to make players aware of the opposition; we have to be aware of that. But really, it still comes down to us. These players play against very good players week in week out in the Premier League, arguably one of the most powerful leagues in the world.

"Of course, Europe feels different, and we've got to handle that and make sure we deliver our performance because if we do that, then we can take care of the results."

Midfielder Luiz - forced off in Saturday's draw with Manchester United - and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi will miss the meeting with Sturm Graz.

"Douglas Luiz is going to receive treatment," Dyche told a news conference.

"That is not likely to be a quick situation; we are waiting on more news.

"Callum is hopefully going to be slightly easier. He won't be for this game, but we will see how it goes for the weekend.

"The international break is going to be important for a few players, to give them more of a chance to get fit. Woody is making good progress."

Igor Jesus is suspended for the fixture, while Dyche is without the likes of Omari Hutchinson, Taiwo Awoniyi and Jair Cunha, who were all not included in the Europa League squad.

"We will have to look at changes and rotating," said Dyche.

"I try to win every game, everyone will know that. I'm not one for rotating all the time, but on this occasion I think we have got to be careful with where we're going to make sure our players are fit and ready to deliver."

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert

Challenges. Leaders and followers. Tactics. Second guessing and wondering where to turn next.

This could be any game of football in the Premier League this weekend.

It is also the plot to any episode of BBC's hit show - The Traitors.

The countdown to the end game of the Celebrity series is on, but, while we wait for that, we want to know which Nottingham Forest player (or manager) - past or present - you think would make the best traitor, and who would be more suited to the role of a faithful.

Was it the way they could appear at the back post without anyone noticing? Or could they stop anybody getting past them?

Get in touch with your choices and the reasons why here

The Celebrity Traitors final will air on Thursday, 6 November on BBC One and iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have donated £10,000 to Stephen Crean's Just Giving Page after he was praised for his role in confronting an attacker during a mass stabbing on a train travelling to London.

Crean, who is a London based Nottingham Forest supporter, was travelling home from their fixture against Manchester United when the attack occurred, in which 10 people were stabbed.

Crean sustained injuries to his head, back and hands.

The page was originally set up to raise £500 but has now raised over £45,000.

The Just Giving page says that "Steve has been a regular fixture at Forest home and away games for many years, making the long journey up from London, and is well known amongst our fanbase".

David Jackson
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

Image source, Getty Images

I am writing this from above the clouds having set off from London Heathrow airport this morning, on the way to Austria for Nottingham Forest's second Europa League away trip of the season.

Much like the first (to Seville to play Real Betis) there is a sense of adventure and excitement among the travelling fans we have seen, but there is also now the extra added edge of knowing their team desperately needs points after a troubled start to the campaign.

And this is a huge week for potential points-gathering.

On Sunday, Forest play Leeds in the Premier League, already so far adrift of safety that even a win would not be enough to lift them out of the bottom three.

But before that, it is Sturm Graz on Thursday night. With Sunday in mind, Sean Dyche is likely to rest some players for this one but he will also know that a win in any competition at the moment could be huge for him and the team.

Join us for a special programme on BBC Radio Nottingham on Wednesday evening from the Stadion Liebenau in Graz from 18:00 GMT as Colin Fray talks to Sean Dyche, and Steve Hodge reflects on playing Graz in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1984.

Listen to full commentary of Sturm Graz v Nottingham Forest from 17:45 GMT on Thursday on BBC Radio Nottingham, 95.1, 95.5 and 103.8 FM.

And subscribe to the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast on BBC Sounds.

Manchester United will step up their pursuit of Nottingham Forest's England midfielder Elliot Anderson in January, with the Red Devils believing the 22-year-old is "very keen" on a move to Old Trafford. (Teamtalk), external

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

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