Ola Aina’s Nottingham Forest vs Bayer Leverkusen: Preview, team news, prediction, h2h

Nottingham Forest host Bayer Leverkusen at the City Ground on Wednesday in a pre-season friendly that marks the first-ever meeting between the two clubs, Afrik-Foot reports.

The fixture carries extra weight given where both clubs stand. Oliver Glasner needs a response from Forest after three consecutive defeats to strong European opposition, while Carles Martínez is looking to keep Leverkusen unbeaten in preparation despite five confirmed absences.

The match serves as a dress rehearsal before both sides’ competitive openers: ambitious Forest begin the Premier League season at home to Leeds United on August 22, while Leverkusen travel to Wehen Wiesbaden in the DFB-Pokal on the same day.

Match analysis: Leverkusen testing squad depth away from home

Bayer Leverkusen arrive in England on the back of five wins from five pre-season matches, the best attacking return of any Bundesliga club in preparation for 2026/27. The run included big wins over SF Baumberg and Kickers Offenbach, a 4-0 win over Belgium’s Genk, a 3-0 win over Rot-Weiss Essen, and a 2-1 win over La Liga side Sevilla.

That Sevilla match came at a cost for Martínez, however. Robert Andrich picked up a muscular problem and Montrell Culbreath suffered a foot injury, and neither travelled to England. Midfielder Eliesse Ben Seghir (tendon problem), forward Nathan Tella (muscular problem), and Kennet Eichhorn (a long-standing metabolic disorder) are also unavailable.

Nottingham Forest, by contrast, find themselves in the opposite emotional position. After winning three of their first four friendlies, including a 3-0 win over Blackburn and a 2-1 win over Portimonense in Portugal, Glasner’s side have lost three matches in a row: 4-1 to Sporting, 1-0 to Udinese, and 1-0 to Barcelona. The last two defeats came in 45-minute matches played in Udine, Italy, which limits how much can be read into them.

Even so, a pattern has emerged: Forest have struggled against technically superior opposition, which makes this friendly a relevant test of Glasner’s early progress. Forest’s 2025/26 campaign was chaotic – four different head coaches (Nuno Espírito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, and Vítor Pereira), a 16th-place Premier League finish with 11 wins, 11 draws, and 16 defeats, and a surprise run to the Europa League semi-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Aston Villa.

Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, dropped from the Bundesliga title in 2023/24 to sixth place in 2025/26, going through Erik ten Hag and Kasper Hjulmand before appointing Martínez, the former Toulouse coach who came through Barcelona’s youth system.

Head-to-head record between Nottingham Forest and Bayer Leverkusen

This will be the first match in history between Nottingham Forest and Bayer Leverkusen. The two clubs have never met in official European competition, despite both having featured in recent editions of the Champions League and Europa League.

Ola Aina and Nottingham Forest’s team news

Oliver Glasner is expected to name a side close to his first-choice XI as a final test before the Premier League opener against Leeds United on August 22.

The main doubt is Chris Wood. The 34-year-old New Zealand international had his season disrupted by knee problems last term, managing five goals in 20 matches. He played at the 2026 World Cup for New Zealand, but he did not feature in the last two friendlies against Udinese and Barcelona. That opens the door for Taiwo Awoniyi, the Super Eagles striker, who has recovered from his own injury problems and captained Forest to a pre-season win over Blackburn Rovers, scoring in the process.

Callum Hudson-Odoi suffered a season-ending injury in April 2026, and his return to pre-season training remains unconfirmed. Forest have made just two confirmed signings so far this summer: midfielder Xaver Schlager, Glasner’s first arrival as head coach, and forward Gustavo Sa.

Nottingham Forest predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Jair Cunha, Williams; Domínguez, Sangaré; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Taiwo Awoniyi. Manager: Oliver Glasner.

Ola Aina, the Super Eagles right-back, is expected to start, having remained an important figure for Forest heading into the new season.

Star Player Watch: Nottingham Forest vs. Bayer Leverkusen

The key duel, plus every Super Eagles star in this fixture

Nottingham Forest

Morgan Gibbs-White

• 15 goals, four assists in 37 Premier League games (2025/26)
• 7.15 average FotMob rating last season

Bayer Leverkusen

Patrik Schick

• 16 Bundesliga goals, three assists in 28 games (2025/26)
• 71 shots on target last season

Ola AinaNottingham Forest — right-back

Expected to start

Taiwo AwoniyiNottingham Forest — striker

Available

Victor BonifaceBayer Leverkusen — striker

Available (likely from bench)

Nathan TellaBayer Leverkusen — winger

Ruled out

Bayer Leverkusen’s team news

Carles Martínez must cope with five confirmed absences for the trip to England. Robert Andrich, captain and undisputed midfield starter, stayed behind in Leverkusen for individual training after his muscular problem against Sevilla.

Montrell Culbreath, who had scored against Rot-Weiss Essen, has been diagnosed with a foot injury that will keep him out of the start of the official season. Eliesse Ben Seghir and Kennet Eichhorn also remain in treatment, while Super Eagles winger Nathan Tella will not travel after picking up a muscular issue in the Sevilla friendly.

There is better news up front, however. Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has made an encouraging return from a serious knee injury this pre-season, scoring twice against SF Baumberg and combining for two goals off the bench in the win over Kickers Offenbach. He is expected to be available, most likely from the bench, as Martínez continues to manage his workload carefully.

Defender Jarell Quansah, newly returned to the squad following England’s involvement at the 2026 World Cup, could also be available for selection.

Leverkusen have added notable reinforcements this summer, headlined by Portuguese winger Afonso Moreira, signed from Lyon for a reported £26m, and Spanish left-back Miguel Gutiérrez, who joined from Napoli for around £22m. Spanish full-back Lucas Vázquez and Algeria international Ibrahim Maza, both already at the club since last year, remain established members of the squad.

Bayer Leverkusen predicted line-up (3-4-2-1): Flekken; Tapsoba, Badé, Arthur; Vázquez, García, Palacios, Gutiérrez; Maza, Hofmann; Schick. Manager: Carles Martínez.

The coaches: Two rebuilding projects at an early stage

Oliver Glasner

Appointed on July 6, 2026, Glasner arrives at Forest with a strong European résumé, having won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022 and the Conference League with Crystal Palace in 2026. His style favours quick transitions and coordinated pressing, and the decision to make Schlager his first signing points to a plan built around an active, technical midfield.

Carles Martínez

Appointed on June 4, Martínez signed a two-year contract with Leverkusen. A former youth coach at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, the Spaniard managed Toulouse before taking on the task of rebuilding Leverkusen, who fell from the domestic title to sixth place across two seasons.

Our fortress has been built, now it’s time to defend it. pic.twitter.com/HoxsTHFqJ5

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) August 11, 2026

Tactical analysis of Nottingham Forest vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Glasner’s Forest should line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Gibbs-White as the creative focal point between the lines, supported by Dan Ndoye and Omari Hutchinson on the flanks. The Domínguez-Sangaré midfield pairing offers a balance of defensive cover and distribution, which will be essential against a Leverkusen side that tends to dominate possession.

Martínez has used a 3-4-2-1 in pre-season, with Aleix García and Exequiel Palacios controlling the tempo centrally and the wing-backs given licence to push forward. The key tactical battle should come in the zone between Forest’s midfield and defence – if Sangaré and Domínguez can limit the space afforded to García and Palacios, Forest should have chances to exploit the counter-attacks that have defined their best pre-season performances.

With five players unavailable, Leverkusen lack depth in midfield without Andrich and Ben Seghir, which could open gaps for Forest to press the visitors’ build-up play. Boniface’s quality on the bench, however, gives Martínez a fresh attacking option late on that Forest’s tiring defence will need to account for.

Betting tips

Betting Tips: Nottingham Forest vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen to win — 53 per cent

• Leverkusen have won eight of their last 10 matches, with one draw and one defeat
• Nottingham Forest have lost their last three matches

Over 2.5 goals and Nottingham Forest to score — 59 per cent

• Only two of Leverkusen’s last 10 matches finished under 2.5 goals
• Forest have scored in five of their last seven matches

Both teams to score — 66 per cent

• Both sides have scored in three of Forest’s last seven meetings of this type
• Both sides have scored in four of Leverkusen’s last seven equivalent matches

Score prediction

Correct Score Prediction: Nottingham Forest vs. Bayer Leverkusen

Friendly-match caveat: expect heavy rotation from both coaches

Nottingham Forest vs. Bayer Leverkusen

1-2

Leverkusen have the stronger squad and go in with superior competitive rhythm. Schick leads a deep attacking group that now also includes Victor Boniface, who has created goals in each of the Werkself’s last two friendlies since returning from a serious knee injury. Forest can hurt Leverkusen through Gibbs-White and a fit Taiwo Awoniyi, who scored in the win over Blackburn, but the run of three defeats to stronger opposition has exposed defensive fragilities the visitors should be able to exploit.

• Schick ended the 2025/26 Bundesliga season with nine goals in his last seven matches, including a hat-trick against RB Leipzig
• Leverkusen scored 17 goals and conceded just two across five pre-season friendlies, the best attack-to-defence ratio among German clubs
• Forest conceded four goals in a single match against Sporting, exposing frailties in their defensive recovery under pressure
• Gibbs-White scored 18 goals in all competitions in 2025/26, the most decisive player in Forest’s squad