Nottingham Forest have just two friendlies left to play before their Premier League campaign gets started with a visit from Leeds United and new manager Oliver Glasner will be keen to see a positive performance against Bayer Leverkusen.
Luring Glasner away from Crystal Palace, who he guided to an FA Cup success and last season's Conference League title, is a real coup for Forest and giving him full backing is required.
Glasner also enjoyed great success in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, so should have his side motivated to put on a show against Leverkusen.
Forest have had a tough pre-season, losing to Sporting, Udinese and Barcelona in their last three outings, but they are still adjusting to the methods of Glasner.
Leverkusen will be a tough nut to crack, though, as they have won all five of their pre-season friendlies, the latest of which was a 2-1 success over Sevilla.
The German side finished only sixth in the Bundesliga last season, but have appointed a new manager in Carles Martínez Novell, who has joined from Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse.
Die Werkself have been active over the summer trying to strengthen the squad and this will be a good test to see where Forest are currently at.
Nottingham Forest v Bayer Leverkusen Tips Summary
Best Bet - Bayer Leverkusen to win @ 9/5
Alternative Bet - Patrik Schick anytime goalscorer @ 6/4
Bet Builder - Under 3.5 goals, Patrik Schick to score first for Bayer Leverkusen & Draw or Bayer Leverkusen double chance @ 6/1
Nottingham Forest v Bayer Leverkusen Prediction
Best Bet: Bayer Leverkusen to win @ 9/5
Both Forest and Leverkusen are under new management, but pre-season has been more of a success for the German side.
Martínez Novell spent three seasons in charge of Toulouse before making the switch to Germany and he has won all five of their pre-season friendlies so far.
With 19 goals scored in those five outings, the Bundesliga outfit are creating plenty of goalscoring opportunities and that may give them the edge at the City Ground.
Forest should improve as Glasner grows into his role, but they have lost their last pre-season friendlies, going down 4-1 to Sporting before 1-0 losses to both Udine and Barca.
The friendlies with Udinese and Barcelona were played on the same day and were just one half of 45 minutes, so the line-ups were heavily rotated.
However, with Elliot Anderson securing a big-money move to Manchester City and Ousmane Diomande, Xaver Schlager and Gustavo Sa their only new arrivals, reinforcements are needed.
Leverkusen, bolstered by signing Afonso Moreira and Miguel Gutierrez, are in confident mood and that could be the decisive factor.
Alternative Bet: Patrik Schick anytime goalscorer @ 6/4
Patrik Schick was Leverkusen's leading scorer last season, scoring 22 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions and 16 of them came from just 23 starts in the Bundesliga.
Schick is the focal point of the attack and how Forest would love to have a prolific forward of his standing.
The Czechia international has been working up to speed in pre-season and has featured just 102 minutes across their last three outings.
However, Schick netted in his 45 minutes of action in a 3-0 win over RW Essen and his 27-minute cameo against Sevilla last time out saw him score both goals in a 2-1 victory.
Nottingham Forest v Bayer Leverkusen Bet Builder Tip
Under 3.5 goals
Patrik Schick to score first for Bayer Leverkusen
Draw or Bayer Leverkusen double chance
Pays 6/1
The feeling is that friendlies are high-scoring but, with the season closing in, both teams should be taking this seriously.
Six of Forest's seven pre-season friendlies this season have gone under 3.5 goals and this should follow suit.
Leverkusen may be tough to beat on the back of five pre-season wins and that means that they have lost only three of their last 14 matches.
Schick has three goals in his last 72 minutes of pre-season action and could open the scoring for the German side.
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Key Match Stats
Bayer Leverkusen have won all five of their pre-season friendlies
Nottingham Forest have lost their last three friendlies
Leverkusen have scored 19 goals across their last three outings
Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick has three goals in his last two appearances
Both teams have scored in six of Leverkusen's last nine games
Seven of Forest's last eight games have gone under 3.5 goals
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
