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Match Preview- Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest: Chance for Slot to right the wrong
Liverpool will face in-form Nottingham Forest in the Premier League return fixture away at City Ground on Tuesday. The Reds suffered their only Premier League loss of the season against the Tricky Trees at Anfield in September.
Nevertheless, Liverpool are at the top of the Premier League right now and securing three points is their top priority. That objective is hard considering Nottingham’s impressive form this season as they currently hold the third Premier League position.
Nuno Espirito Santo has done an impressive job at the Nottinghamshire club, backed by some inspiring signings during the summer. Nottingham have secured 40 points from 20 games with four draws and four losses in the Premier League.
They are currently behind second-place Arsenal solely on goal difference and hold a distinct fixture advantage with no European football. Liverpool boss Arne Slot has enjoyed a similarly impressive season as his counterpart, however, without the help of summer spending.
Slot has pushed the Reds to the top of the Premier League and the Champions League table with impressive consistency. Liverpool have only lost two games this season with the second one coming against Tottenham Hotspur in the controversial Carabao Cup’s first-leg semifinal.
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool: Recent Form
Nottingham have enjoyed incredible form recently with five wins from the last five games in all competitions. Nuno’s men have scored 10 games in the last five fixtures without conceding a single goal, displaying incredible balance.
They have defeated Luton Town in the FA Cup third-round fixture in their last game. The Nottinghamshire club have defeated Wolves, Everton, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur in the other four previous fixtures.
Meanwhile, the Reds have not enjoyed a good start to 2025 in results despite their dominance in overall play. Liverpool have won three out of their last five games in all competitions, losing one and drawing one.
Slot put a combination of a young side with squad players who have enjoyed a limited playing time, against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup clash on Saturday. The Reds beat the League Two side 4-0 at Anfield to secure their first victory of 2025.
Liverpool lost 0-1 to Spurs controversially at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Carabao Cup semifinals’ first leg. However, Slot’s men are capable of reversing the one-goal deficit in the second leg at Anfield.
Furthermore, Liverpool drew 2-2 to Manchester United in the frustrating draw where they have only themselves to blame. Complacent defending cost the club two points despite taking a 2-1 lead before the latter stages of the game.
Liverpool beat West Ham United 0-5 and Leicester City 3-1 in the remaining two of the last five fixtures. The Reds need to sort their defence back to the way they defended earlier this season while maintaining the consistency of their offence. Considering the balance that Nottingham have enjoyed in the Premier League, Liverpool cannot afford to show any vulnerability.
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool: Predicted XI
Forest have enjoyed a good campaign due to the lack of any injury crisis since the start of the season. They are missing only Ibrahim Sangare due to a hamstring injury with Danilo making his comeback from injury against Luton.
Santo used the FA Cup game as a chance to rotate his players and give others a chance to shine. Despite the shared confidence within their squad, many first-team regulars will return to play against the Premier League leaders.
In-form forward Chris Woods remains the pivotal cog for the team while Callum Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga back him with pace and trickery. Liverpool’s star attackers cannot take anything for granted with Ola Aina, Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic in top form at defence.
Predicted starting XI for Nottingham: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Woods
Liverpool have Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley who recently returned from their long spell in the sideline. Unfortunately, the Reds lost Joe Gomez to injury while Darwin Nunez will serve his suspension after his yellow cards accumulation.
All eyes will focus on the defence after their trouble against United with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Konate in the spotlight. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has single-handedly fought the opposition’s attack in defence during the recent games.
The Dutch captain needs better performances from his teammates including struggling Andy Robertson and experienced goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Slot rested seven first-team players against Accrington which included Van Dijk, Robertson, and Konate along with Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo.
Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz stayed on the bench as the unused substitutes during the FA Cup game. Gravenberch and Mac Allister will take their regular role as the double-pivot in the midfield.
There is a good argument for Dominik Szoboszlai to play ahead of Jones as the Englishman has struggled with form. However, Slot will make this particular decision based on Szoboszlai’s overall fitness and the tactical requirement for the team. Rest assured; Jones needs to perform better than he has done in the recent games.
The front three for Liverpool have a pivotal role to play as Nottingham’s defence holds the best record recently. Salah and Gakpo will play on their respective wings with Diaz acting as a false nine to exploit any weaknesses.
Predicted starting XI for Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo.
Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool: Predicted scoreline
This is a very tricky away Premier League game that favours Nottingham but Liverpool needs to return with three points with no margin for errors. We expect a 1-2 away win for the Reds as the hots can hurt in the counter-attack but Liverpool can with as long as they avoid complacency and stick to Slot’s plan.
