Leeds United have a very tough run of games looming after this trip to Nottingham Forest. Daniel Farke probably needs points on the board soon to get ahead of this bleak set of fixtures.
All focus is on getting a positive result away at Nottingham Forest this afternoon. The Reds have prioritised this Sunday fixture over their Europa League trip to Sturm Graz, resting several key players on Thursday night.
It underlines the importance for United to avoid defeat at the City Ground, knowing that the home side are in dire need of a league win too.
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Do Leeds United need big result at Nottingham Forest ahead of daunting run?
Forest are the final side in 2025 that Leeds face who are currently sitting in the bottom eight teams alongside United.
After the November international break, Leeds have a rough set of fixtures up until the new year:
23/11: Aston Villa (H)
29/11: Manchester City (A)
03/12: Chelsea (H)
06/12: Liverpool (H)
14/12: Brentford (A)
21/12: Crystal Palace (H)
28/12: Sunderland (A)
Daniel Farke is under pressure to find results at Leeds United ASAP. (Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley)
There’s obviously opportunities for points here and there, but it becomes quite clear that losing to Nottingham Forest leaves Leeds with a real uphill task to stay out of the bottom three by the time January rolls around.
December boost: Crystal Palace set for horrific fixture congestion amid Leeds United change request
A fixture to note in that run up to the new year is Sunday 21st December at home to Crystal Palace. The Eagles are currently competing in three competitions in a week around that Elland Road meeting.
On Thursday 18th, they face KuPS in the Conference League. On Tuesday 23rd, they face Arsenal away in the EFL Cup.
It means they are currently due to play three games in six days, with Leeds sandwiched in the middle. Eagles boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed a request has been made to the Premier League to shift the clash with United a day forward to Saturday 20th. Glanser making this request public indicates clarity will be provided imminently on whether they will get their wish.
While that would allow Palace more rest between their league and EFL Cup fixtures, it gives Palace just a single day between a Conference League game and their trip to West Yorkshire. Having a quite small squad relative to others competing in Europe, that congestion is a huge dilemma for Palace.
As Leeds look to target fixtures in November and December, picking up steady points at home is vital. A depleted and likely heavily-rotated Palace side is one of those opportunities.
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