Leeds make their second trip to the City Ground in the space of four days on Tuesday night, back on Trentside for the League Cup second round just 80 hours or so after Anton Stach's 88th-minute free-kick settled the Premier League opener 1-0. It's a rare scheduling quirk, and one Farke has already been asked to unpack, his message being that despite the same venue and largely the same two squads, this is a fundamentally different fixture. This time it's knockout football, and both sides will be out to win it.
It's a competition Leeds will want to have gone better in by the time this year is out. Last season's second-round exit came against a crisis-hit Sheffield Wednesday side, with Farke fielding a team built around teenagers and fringe players. On paper it should have been routine, but a flat, toothless first-half performance set the tone for a night that never really improved, and Leeds went out on penalties after missing three in a row. It raised real questions at the time about squad depth, application, and whether a young, heavily rotated XI can be trusted with a knockout tie. All questions that feel relevant again this week.
On the home front, Forest have their own selection headaches. Nicolo Savona remains out following a setback in his recovery from knee surgery and is a couple of weeks away, while captain Ryan Yates is a doubt after missing the weekend's game with what's believed to be a minor issue. They key piece of injury news is that Morgan Gibbs-White picked up an ankle injury at the weekend and will miss Tuesday nights game. Omari Hutchinson, back from injury but not yet fully up to speed, is another to watch, and summer signing Ousmane Diomande could be in line for more minutes as he builds match fitness following his move from Sporting.
For Leeds, Gabriel Gudmundsson (thigh) and Willy Gnonto (hamstring) remain sidelined, with Ilia Gruev back in full training with a view to a return within a couple of weeks rather than rushed back for this one. Lucas Perri is easing his way back after a pre-season injury lay-off, and Mateo Joseph continues his own individual rehab from his ACL injury, with no timeline offered. Farke was clear that nobody involved on Saturday has picked up a fresh knock, so it's largely a case of the same group being available, with late calls on sharpness rather than fitness.
Farke's own tone on the competition itself was notably guarded. Asked directly about the club's approach, he stopped short of declaring an intent to go for it this year, saying only that it's "too early to say we will attack this competition" and that Tuesday won't be treated like a cup final. He did confirm rotation is coming, "perhaps more than a league game, but not a complete change", with a chance for those on the fringes of the XI to stake a claim, and hinted Nico Elvedi could be in line for his debut after being an unused option in the closing stages on Saturday. Notably, he did add he'd "never say no to another good cup run," pointing back to his run to the final with Norwich.
So, over to you. Do we actually want a proper go at this competition this season, given where the priorities probably lie? Do we stick largely with the first team given how last year's youth-heavy approach against Wednesday went, or is half a team of reserves the right call again? And should any of the U21s be getting a start here? Don't forget the poll!
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