Nottingham Forest go into this friendly on the back of three straight defeats, while Bayer Leverkusen have won five straight pre-season games. That is the clearest angle for Wednesday night, even before the teams settle into their usual patterns. Forest's last two pre-season defeats were 1-0 losses to Udinese and Barcelona in two 45-minute matches on Saturday night.
Forest's recent slide
The run is not just awkward timing. Forest's most recent five competitive results are W-D-L-D-L, which leaves one win and three defeats in that stretch. The friendly picture has been tougher still, and that is why the meeting with Leverkusen feels like a useful check on where the squad is before the season begins.
Chris Wood is expected to operate in the final third for Forest, with wide support around him, while Morgan Gibbs-White is in line to work from the number 10 spot. Oliver Glasner has a line-up that can still be used to sharpen ideas, but the recent results do not suggest a side carrying much pre-season momentum.
Leverkusen's winning run
Leverkusen's pre-season has been the opposite. They have taken five straight wins over Baumberg, Offenbach, Genk, RW Essen and Sevilla, and that run should make them the more settled side for this game. Their recent competitive form is mixed, shown by a L-W-W-L-D run, but the friendly streak is still the sharper read for this fixture.
Carles Martinez also has useful options to manage. Alejandro Grimaldo has averaged 7.3 across his last five tracked matches, while Afonso Moreira has averaged 7.4 and has added a goal and an assist in that span. Moreira is expected to be involved from the first whistle, with Christian Kofane through the middle.
The match is still only a friendly, so nobody should turn it into a verdict on either club. Even so, Leverkusen arrive with the better rhythm and Forest arrive needing a reset, which makes the German side the more interesting team to watch at kick-off.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
