The 6 players set to miss Nottingham Forest v Leeds United | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest and Leeds United do battle for the second time in three days at the City Ground in the EFL Cup second round

The pick of the bunch on Tuesday night in the EFL Cup second round clashes sees Nottingham Forest take on Leeds United at the City Ground for the second time in three days.

Indeed, the two sides met in Nottingham to open the 2026/27 Premier League campaign. In a game that lacked quality for the most part, Anton Stach produced some much-needed excellence from a free kick to secure all three points for Daniel Farke's side.

Now it's round two in the cup, and with both top-flight sides tipped to enjoy a league campaign with a little less stress than the relegation battle they endured last season, a cup run will definitely be much appreciated amongst both fanbases.

Therefore, while rotation will be expected, both sides will still want to go relatively strong to progress to the third round at the other's expense.

These six players won't be available for selection, though, regardless of how much rotation is in store.

Morgan Gibbs-White

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The main news coming out of the Forest camp is that star midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White won't be available for selection after picking up a slight knee problem in the latter stages of the league game against Leeds on Saturday.

Thankfully for Oliver Glasner and the Forest fans, his absence is simply a case of not wanting to risk him in the cup. The Austrian boss is hopeful he'll be able to face Liverpool on Saturday.

Ryan Yates

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Otherwise, the squad is the same as it was for the Premier League meeting, meaning that club captain Ryan Yates is expected to miss out.

The 28-year-old missed his side's final pre-season outing against French outfit Brest, and will continue to be out of action this coming Tuesday.

Nicolo Savona

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Right-back Nicolo Savona also continues to miss action as he recovers from surgery he underwent back in March.

The summer arrival from Juventus last year last appeared in a matchday squad in January, and the last time he started a league game, Sean Dyche was in charge in a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City.

Ilia Gruev

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Ilia Gruev has been missing since picking up a meniscus injury in April, and while he's "fully back" in training, the cup game comes "a bit too soon" for the Bulgarian midfielder.

Gabriel Gudmundsson

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Meanwhile, Gabriel Gudmundsson, who enjoyed a brilliant debut campaign with the Whites, had his pre-season interrupted by a hamstring injury he sustained while stateside against Liverpool.

Farke stated that the Swedish full-back is in a good place with his rehab, but isn't back in team training yet.

Wilfried Gnonto

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And the same goes for Willy Gnonto, who is also on the mend from a hamstring injury picked up in a friendly in Dublin against Manchester United.

There was speculation that the young Italian could be on his way out of Leeds after starting just four league games for the Whites last season, but the 22-year-old spoke earlier this month about how privileged he is as part of the squad, indicating that he may be remaining as a useful option for Farke as the season unravels.