Leeds United vs Nottingham Forest: Premier League preview, predictions & betting tips

• Ladbrokes previews Leeds vs Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, with live odds

• Leeds backed to edge past Forest in a closely contested match at Elland Road

• Brenden Aaronson expected to impress, with Morato tipped to pick up a booking

As two teams scrapping for survival meet at Elland Road, Ladbrokes shares its Leeds vs Nottingham Forest preview and predictions, with expert bet builder tips.

Attention turns to the bottom of the Premier League on Friday night as 16th hosts 17th, and despite decent form seeing both sides steer slowly away from the bottom three in recent weeks, the tension will be high in this relegation six-pointer.

Forest have only lost one of their last eight meetings with Leeds United, but the Reds haven't won at Elland Road since 2016, so an intriguing battle is surely on the cards in West Yorkshire.

Read on for our Leeds United vs Nottingham Forest bet builder, and don't forget to check out our predictions for every Premier League match this weekend.

• Fixture: Leeds United vs Nottingham Forest

• Date: Friday, 06 February, 2026

• Kick-off: 20:00 GMT

• Venue: Elland Road

Our prediction: Leeds United 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Leeds' defeat to Arsenal last week ended a five-game unbeaten run at Elland Road, and despite Forest earning more than 50% of their points away from home this term, we're backing Leeds to bounce back and claim all three points on Friday night.

Home wins against the likes of Chelsea, Fulham, and Crystal Palace have been the catalyst for Leeds to mount a promising survival push, and we think Nottingham Forest could struggle to cope with the intensity of Daniel Farke's side on a huge night under the lights at Elland Road. So often the 12th man, Leeds' fans will be urging them over the line against a direct competitor for Premier League safety - and we're expecting the hosts to edge it.

Predicted lineup (3-4-2-1): Darlow / Justin, Rodon, Struijk / Bogle, Gruev, Ampadu, Gudmundsson / Stach, Aaronson / Calvert-Lewin

Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Ortega / Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato / Sangare, Anderson / Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi / Jesus

Now in his fourth year as a Leeds player, Brenden Aaronson is finally showing the Premier League what he's all about, with goals and assists starting to accompany the duels, dribbles, and chance creation that saw fans take to him so quickly when he arrived from RB Salzburg. Ahead of the visit of Nottingham Forest, we're tipping the American to find the net for his fifth goal of the season, setting his side on their way to a crucial three points.

Aaronson has scored three of his four Premier League goals since the turn of the year, and has played his way into becoming a key man for Daniel Farke as Leeds look to build on the momentum of their impressive end to 2025. The attacking midfielder is averaging 0.6 shots on target per game this term, and against a beatable Nottingham Forest defence, we think he'll back himself to score at Elland Road for the first time since January 4.

As two of the division's leakiest backlines go head-to-head, we're not expecting a masterclass in defending when Leeds take on Nottingham Forest, so Ladbrokes is backing both teams to score. The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Igor Jesus are enjoying fruitful seasons in front of goal, and with both teams defending with a distinct lack of confidence, the attacks should have their moments on Friday night.

Leeds' defeat at home to title favourites Arsenal last weekend was the first time they've drawn a blank at Elland Road since August, and the Yorkshire outfit haven't failed to score in back-to-back home games since April 2024 - so expect the net to bulge this weekend. Forest also tend to score, with the Reds finding the net in four of their last five league games, so we think backing BTTS is the way to go here.

Following Neco Williams' red card in their draw with Palace last weekend, Sean Dyche is likely to deploy Morato at left back when Forest travel to Leeds - but the big Brazilian has made a real habit of picking up bookings this term, and we fancy him for another one here.

Four yellow cards in 12 Premier League matches tells a damning story for the defender - especially as he's only played 90 minutes in seven of those games - so we're expecting his average of one booking every three appearances to bite him again on Friday night. Morato commits around one foul per game in Nottingham Forest colours, and against tricky players like Brenden Aaronson, Noah Okafor, and Wilfried Gnonto, he could easily be caught out again at Elland Road. He seems a valuable pick here, with Leeds likely to favour attacking down his side.

Concluding our Leeds vs Nottingham Forest bet builder tips and predictions, we're looking at the match betting markets ahead of this vital six-pointer at the wrong end of the Premier League table - and we're backing the hosts to nick all three points, opening up a nine-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three.

Daniel Farke's side have grown into a solid Premier League unit over the last couple of months, and they've rarely disappointed in front of their own fans in recent outings. Forest have won their last two away games in the league, but suspensions, injuries and a hectic schedule have caught up with them in what has been a difficult campaign so far - and we're expecting it to continue here. A raucous atmosphere should carry Leeds over the line, with the hosts edging a tight affair on Friday night.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.