Leeds United are back in action in the Premier League this weekend for the last time before the last international break of 2025 as they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.
The Whites were beaten 3-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion on their travels last time out in the top-flight, in what was the latest in a string of dismal away performances.
Matches
5
Wins
1
Draws
0
Losses
4
Goals scored
3
Goals conceded
12
Points
3
League rank
17th
As you can see in the table above, Daniel Farke’s side have struggled badly on the road in the Premier League so far this season, with three points from five matches.
Their only win away from Elland Road came against Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have no wins, two draws, and eight defeats in their ten matches home and away this term.
Leeds will, therefore, need to step up and improve on the majority of their performances away from home in the division if they want to pick up any points against the Tricky Trees on Sunday.
Nottingham Forest, who are currently managed by Sean Dyche, have plenty of talented players who could cause the Whites problems if they are not at their best.
The Forest players Leeds have to be wary of
The Europa League outfit have a plethora of expensive attacking players who could test Lucas Perri in the Leeds goal if they get past the likes of Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol.
Dan Ndoye, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White, Omari Hutchinson, Taiwo Awoniyi, Elliot Anderson, the list goes on. Dyche has so many talented players at his disposal.
Hutchinson cost £37.5m, Anderson cost £35m, and Ndoye cost £34m. That is just a taste of the kind of spending power that they have been able to flex in recent seasons to build an exciting squad.
Igor Jesus – 5
Morgan Gibbs-White – 3
Chris Wood – 3
Dan Ndoye – 1
Morgan Gibbs-White – 2
Ryan Yates – 1
Dan Ndoye – 2
Elliot Anderson – 1
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1
Douglas Luiz – 1
Neco Williams – 1
Omari Hutchinson – 1
Nicolo Savona – 1
As you can see in the table above, Leeds will need to be wary of Jesus and Gibbs-White, in particular, whilst former Whites centre-forward Chris Wood is currently out through injury.
Gibbs-White has provided quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Tricky Trees in all competitions this season, after a return of seven goals and eight assists in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.
The England international did, however, miss a penalty in Forest’s 0-0 draw with Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday night, which could knock his confidence ahead of their clash with Leeds on Sunday.
Whilst the Championship champions need to be wary of the former Wolves star, Farke could unleash his own version of Gibbs-White by dropping Ao Tanaka from the starting line-up.
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The Japan international started the 3-0 defeat to Brighton last time out and should be dropped to allow German central midfielder Anton Stach to return to the side, to provide a threat at the top end of the pitch.
Why Leeds should drop Ao Tanaka for Anton Stach
Per Sofascore, the Japanese midfielder did not register a single shot, key pass, or ‘big chance’ created against Brighton, which shows that he did not have any positive impact in the final third.
On top of his failure to provide quality in possession, Tanaka also failed to win a single tackle and only won one duel in 61 minutes on the pitch for the Whites, as he offered little to the side as a defensive or physical presence.
The former Fortuna Düsseldorf star has no goals, no assists, and no ‘big chances’ created in eight appearances and four starts in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, which does not suggest that he is likely to cause Forest too many problems on Sunday.
Stach, on the other hand, has shown that he can provide moments of quality at the top end of the pitch that can win points for his side, when he is at his best.
In fact, the summer signing from Hoffenheim scored in the club’s only away win in the Premier League this season, with a stunning free-kick against Wolves in the Midlands.
Stach also came off the bench against Brighton and won four of his four duels and completed both of his attempted dribbles, per Sofascore, in just 30 minutes on the pitch, which suggests that he may be ready to come back into the starting line-up after such a bright cameo.
The towering central midfielder may not be a diminutive style of playmaker like Gibbs-White, but their respective performances this season suggest that he can be Leeds United’s own version of the Forest star.
Appearances
9
10
xG
0.88
1.90
Goals
1
1
Big chances missed
1
2
Key passes per game
1.6
1.1
Big chances created
2
2
Assists
1
1
Dribbles completed per game
0.7
0.6
As you can see in the table above, the Whites star has been even more creative than Gibbs-White, with 0.5 more key passes per game, whilst scoring as many goals from less xG in the Premier League.
Stach, who was once hailed as “underrated” by writer Bence Bocsák, and Gibbs-White are both midfield players who can make an impact in the final third as scorers and creators, which is why they are difference-makers for their respective teams.
Tanaka, unfortunately, has yet to prove that he can be a difference-maker at Premier League level, with no goal contributions this season, which is why he should be the man to drop out of the XI to bring the German back into the side to face Forest this weekend.
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Hopefully, if Stach returns to the team, he can shine and outperform Gibbs-White to help the Whites to their second win on the road in the division this term.