Three Leeds players who need to prove themselves in Premier League opener vs Nottingham Forest
Leeds United aim to kickstart their 2026-27 Premier League campaign with a win over Nottingham Forest.
Daniel Farke's side have enjoyed an excellent pre-season campaign this summer.
Big wins over the likes of Liverpool, Augsburg, Sunderland and Leipzig ensure Leeds head into the new Premier League season with confidence.
Nottingham Forest are Saturday's gameweek one opponents, with the City Ground outfit under new management in Oliver Glasner.
Both sides claimed 3-1 victories over the other in the Premier League last term, and will meet again in the League Cup next Tuesday evening.
So, ahead of Saturday's season opener, MOT Leeds News takes a look at three Whites players with things to prove this weekend.
Harry Wilson still needs to carve out Leeds role
Leeds have only signed four new players so far this summer, prioritising quality additions over quantity.
The first of those was Harry Wilson, with the long-targeted winger arriving as a free agent in early July.
He played in all six of Leeds' pre-season friendlies this summer, but wasn't able to provide a single goal contribution.
As a result, he hasn't quite hit the ground running at Elland Road like many expected him to, but of course, he's still bedding in and learning the system.
However, with Anton Stach now back and Brenden Aaronson being a standout performer in pre-season, Wilson's place in the team isn't assured yet.
So, if he does get the nod to start against Forest, the Welshman needs to take his chance as competition in his position is fierce.
Now let's take a look at a Leeds defender who may now be in a scrap for his LS11 future.
Why Jaka Bijol could be victim of Leeds' transfer business
Two of Leeds' four new signings are centre-backs, those being Tarik Muharemovic and Nico Elvedi.
The former has already shone in his opening pre-season outings, and looks to be a locked-in starter for many years to come.
Meanwhile, Elvedi has over 360 games for Borussia Monchengladbach under his belt, as well as being a 73-cap Swit
But having been away at this summer's World Cup and not had a pre-season, the 29-year-old is unlikely to be named in Leeds' XI on Saturday.
That should mean Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol take the other two centre-back spots alongside Muharemovic at the City Ground.
Rodon has been superb in pre-season, and appears to have reaffirmed his place in the starting lineup moving forward.
Bijol, on the other hand, only played in three games, and could soon realistically find himself as Farke's fourth choice central defender.
So, in perhaps these first few games of the season whilst Elvedi is building his fitness, he must play well and lay a marker down to his comrades and to Farke.
Now lets look back towards the forward line, and find one more Leeds player who has so much riding on these first couple of games.
Dan James could decide his Leeds fate against Forest
Perhaps one of the surprise stories of Leeds' 2026-27 pre-season has been the form of Dan James.
The 28-year-old winger was a player many Whites fans expected to leave Elland Road this summer, after a poor 2025-26 campaign.
He failed to provide a single goal contribution in 21 total appearances last term, and it felt as though he needed a change of scenery.
However, the Welshman put in some excellent displays in pre-season, with his best performance coming against Man United in which he grabbed an assist.
James and the aforementioned Wilson could be in a straight fight to win the right-sided attacking midfield spot in Farke's system this season.
Currently, it's probably James who is winning that battle, and looks likely to start over Wilson against Forest on Saturday.
A top performance could ensure he's at least kept around for another season.
On the flip side, a poor one could see Wilson leapfrog him in the pecking order and push him closer towards the Elland Road exit door.