Paul Merson: Leeds will beat Nottingham Forest after ‘shock’ recent developments he saw
Leeds United have been backed to ease their Premier League relegation fears against Nottingham Forest on Friday.
In late November, Daniel Farke was at risk of being sacked by Leeds as they hovered around the relegation zone.
However, the German oversaw a remarkable turnaround where Leeds went on a seven-game unbeaten run and surged clear of the bottom three.
On the flip side, Leeds’ 4-0 home loss to Arsenal on Saturday brought them back down to earth ahead of a crunch clash with fellow strugglers Forest at Elland Road.
Now, Arsenal legend Paul Merson has explained why it should be Leeds who leave with the all-important three points to extend their gap to West Ham.
Leeds United backed to edge tight game against Nottingham Forest
This is a massive encounter for 16th-placed Leeds and Forest, who are one spot below.
Like Forest, Leeds are better on home soil, despite their recent Arsenal drubbing. Despite that setback, Merson has backed Farke’s side to win this contest 1-0.
The former Aston Villa star also believes that West Ham would prefer Leeds to lose, with the Hammers more likely to feel they can reel in Farke’s side than Sean Dyche.
He told Sportskeeda: “If you are West Ham, what do you want from this game? I don’t think a draw works because that would put both Leeds and Nottingham Forest seven points ahead of you. So this is a funny game if you’re a West Ham fan.
“I actually think West Ham would rather have Forest win this than Leeds. They might be more confident of catching Daniel Farke’s team than Forest at this point. Leeds were slaughtered by Arsenal last weekend. But Forest are not Arsenal. Sean Dyche’s team will go to Elland Road and play for a draw.
“That makes sense because this is a ‘must-not lose’ game for both these teams. Forest had a shock result last time out when they drew with a struggling Crystal Palace. I fancy Leeds in this game, predicting a narrow win for the hosts.”
Indeed, if Leeds lose, their gap to West Ham could drop to three points if Nuno Espirito Santo’s team beats 19th-placed Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Conversely, Leeds could draw level with Tottenham and Crystal Palace if other results go their way.
Will Leeds’ lack of winter signings hurt them?
Following the conclusion of the winter transfer window, Leeds’ only first-team signing proved to be Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte.
Farke has been eyeing a number 10 for quite some time, but now that he has got one, the German has used the 21-year-old quite sparingly.
Other than Buonanotte, Leeds tried and failed to land Jorgen Strand Larsen, with the striker eventually swapping Wolves for Crystal Palace in a deal worth up to £48million.
Leeds’ board had previously said they took themselves to the limit with PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) when it came to their summer spending.
While PSR would have been on their minds in the most recent window, their Strand Larsen pursuit shows they have some headroom there.
Whether or not their winter window inactivity will come back to haunt them remains to be seen, with all eyes on a huge three points up for grabs against Nottingham Forest.