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Like every Premier League club, Leeds United are preparing for the start of the season with squad-building plans still an ongoing process. United’s pre-season comes to a close this afternoon with a home test against Bundesliga side Augsburg. After that, all preparation is focused on our first Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest. Leeds’ opening run of games is actually on the favourable side on paper. We take on Nottingham Forest (away), Brentford (home), Brighton (away), Newcastle United (home), and Crystal Palace (home). Leeds United’s Premier League rivals Brighton dealt brutal Yankuba Minteh blow Our hopes of a bright start could be boosted by the fact we’re yet to see Nottingham Forest replace Elliot Anderson – one of the best in the division last season. However, facing the Seagulls in early September could be an opportunity for a rare result at the AMEX for Leeds. Star winger Yankuba Minteh has been confirmed as ruled out for up to three months. He’s picked up a leg injury sustained in pre season against Roma – per Andy Naylor. Minteh has proven to be one of the better wingers in the Premier League thanks to his dazzling ability to beat a man. It’s something Leeds had a nightmare dealing with on our most recent trip there, as Minteh got an assist in the 3-0 pasting we took in November 2025. The Gambian winger is not the only key player likely to miss our game. Fellow tricky wide man Kaoru Mitoma is still rehabilitating from a late-season injury that ruined his World Cup hopes. Elsewhere, Carlos Baleba is nursing ankle ligament issues, while Stefanos Tzimas and Evan Ferguson are also “in rehab”. Can Leeds United get strong head-start for Premier League consolidation? There’s no point reading too much into the fixture list before a ball is kicked really. When the fixtures were released last season, everyone thought December was going to be absolute torture. We ended up unbeaten with two wins and three draws, facing Chelsea, Liverpool, Brentford, Crystal Palace, and Sunderland. So, seeing what looks a kinder group of fixtures to start the season is perhaps not something we should get too giddy about. That being said, you’d take that over facing multiple games against the supposed elite sides. In turn, there’s genuine opportunity for Leeds to get off the mark and start as we mean to go on. Brighton suffering from an early crisis is ideal, but we have to worry about ourselves.