Bosnia And Herzegovina
Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
EL Salvador
Indonesia
Montenegro
North Macedonia
South Africa
United Arab Emirates

Nott'm Forestvs.Liverpool

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 January 2025, 12:56
Facing one of the toughest tests of their Premier League title mettle, Liverpool make the trek to the City Ground for a fascinating battle with high-flying Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

There are just two places and six points between the two championship contenders in the top-flight standings, as the Reds square up to one of only two teams to have outwitted Arne Slot so far this season.

Match preview

Atoning for the knockout wrongs of their 1-0 EFL Cup semi-final first-leg loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, albeit one clouded in Lucas Bergvall controversy, Liverpool's relentless huffing and puffing against a spirited Accrington side eventually led to a fabulous four-goal win.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's marvellous long-range strike was the highlight of the afternoon for the much-changed Reds, as the right-back wrote his redemption arc after a horror show against Manchester United, while Diogo Jota, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa also gave the Anfield faithful something to cheer on Saturday.

As applaudable as Accrington's efforts were, it was always going to be a case of just how many the Reds were going to score in the third-round tie, even if Slot made an abundance of changes that he has been loath to make for the majority of the campaign.

Some tiredness was perhaps evident in the frenetic four-goal stalemate with Manchester United last time out in the Premier League, but Arsenal's failure to get the better of Brighton & Hove Albion allowed the Reds to maintain their six-point advantage at the summit, and still with that outstanding game in hand.

Liverpool may have been slain at Anfield by Tuesday's hosts back in September, but the Reds possess the only unbeaten away record left in the 2024-25 Premier League and have struck at least two goals in each of their last 12 top-flight matches; five games in that sequence have come on rival territory.

However, Tuesday's titanic tussle will see the unstoppable force of Liverpool meet the immovable object of Nottingham Forest, who made it seven wins on the spin and five clean sheets on the bounce when Luton Town paid a visit for the FA Cup third round.

Strikes either side of the half-time whistle from Ryan Yates and Ramon Sosa made the difference for the Tricky Trees, who can surely harbour realistic ambitions of a trip to Wembley in the spring as Nuno Espirito Santo continues to mastermind a magical run.

December's Premier League Manager of the Month visited his old Molineux home on January 6, where there was no love lost between Wolverhampton Wanderers and fellow former flame Morgan Gibbs-White, to which Forest's creative fulcrum responded with a seventh-minute opening goal.

Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi also got in on the act as Santo's men hit the 40-point mark for the season after just 20 games - the same tally that Arsenal boast - and the hosts are just one win away from matching their all-time best of seven straight league victories.

That feat has never been achieved by the Tricky Trees in the Premier League era, but belief should not be in short supply after September's shock 1-0 success at Anfield, the same slender tally that Liverpool won by at the City Ground last season as Darwin Nunez's last-gasp winner triggered full-time mayhem.

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

W

W

W

W

W

W

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

W

W

W

W

W

W

Liverpool Premier League form:

D

D

W

W

W

D

Liverpool form (all competitions):

W

W

W

D

L

W

Team News

Misfiring Liverpool marksman Nunez just cannot catch a break at the moment; the Uruguayan wasted another couple of chances against Accrington and serves a suspension on Tuesday for picking up his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season against Man United.

Nunez should only be one of two Reds absentees for Tuesday's tie, though, as Slot's sole injury absentee is hamstring victim Joe Gomez; Dominik Szoboszlai and Jarell Quansah were both fit to start the FA Cup success following illness.

However, the pair will likely be axed from the first XI as Slot reverts to his strongest possible setup, including a recall for Cody Gakpo, who is aiming to become just the eighth Dutch player to score in four successive Premier League matches.

Likewise, Nottingham Forest also come into the midweek battle with a near clean bill of health after Danilo made his long-awaited comeback from an ankle injury against Luton, earning five minutes as a late substitute.

Only Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) is in the care of the Forest doctors at present, and Santo could also afford to rotate his resources in the FA Cup, bringing the likes of Carlos Miguel, James Ward-Prowse and Awoniyi into the XI.

The 6ft 8in Miguel shone in the Luton success with six saves, but Matz Sels will no doubt return to guard the posts on Tuesday as he seeks a 10th Premier League clean sheet of the season; he is already two clear of Jordan Pickford and David Raya in the race for the Golden Glove.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Diaz

We say: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Liverpool

Forest have not exclusively faced teams that they would ordinarily be expected to conquer during their stellar sequence - Brentford at home, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Man United are no pushovers - and Santo's men will certainly give the league leaders a terrific run for their money.

Written by

Ben Knapton

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Hoping for a fourth win on the bounce over Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United host their fellow Champions League hopefuls in the Premier League at St James' Park on Sunday. 22 February 2025 talksport.com The football managers' union will be shaking their heads at David Moyes' admission before his reunion with Manchester United. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal and West Ham United have confirmed their starting lineups for Saturday's Premier League London derby at the Emirates, where Mikel Merino will start up front for the Gunners. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will look to create Premier League history in Sunday's clash with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens has conceded it would be difficult to turn down a move to Manchester United. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich reportedly remain interested in signing Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku. 22 February 2025 talksport.com Ruud van Nistelrooy's torrid time at Leicester shows no signs of stopping. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal can kiss goodbye to the Premier League title if Liverpool manage to get the better of Manchester City in Sunday's top-flight blockbuster, according to Gunners legend Ray Parlour. 22 February 2025 talksport.com Jose Mourinho has finally got his way in one of his longest-running disputes with the Turkish Super Lig. 22 February 2025 talksport.com Udinese's 1-0 win over Lecce saw the game descend into utterly bizarre scenes when the matchwinner became enemy number one. 22 February 2025 talksport.com talkSPORT has you covered for all the latest news as the Premier League action continues on a blockbuster Saturday.. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly planning to use Marcus Rashford in a bid to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic during this summer's transfer window. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Rejuvenated Roma will try to extend their Serie A unbeaten streak on Monday, as they welcome rock-bottom Monza to Stadio Olimpico. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly weighing up a summer move for Crystal Palace central midfielder Adam Wharton. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has rejected suggestions that the Red Devils could look to enter the free agent market to boost their squad for the final stages of the 2024-25 campaign. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool expert David Lynch has claimed that Andrew Robertson could be detrimental to the Reds' chances of beating Manchester City on Sunday. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk The reaction to Liverpool's recent form has been unwarranted given Arsenal have also looked far from their best, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Los Angeles vs. Minnesota Utd (Saturday, 9.30pm) Los Angeles FC will look to build on their 2024 regular season success when they begin their 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign at home to Minnesota United on Saturday. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Sivasspor vs. Konyaspor (Saturday, 10.30am) Two sides separated by just one place in the Turkish Super Lig and looking to steer clear of the relegation battle go head-to-head as Sivasspor host Konyaspor at the New Sivas 4 Eylul Stadyumu on Saturday. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Casa Pia vs. Gil Vicente (Saturday, 3.30pm) Two teams eager to bounce back from their respective defeats lock horns this Saturday as Casa Pia welcome Gil Vicente for round 23 of the Primeira Liga. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lille vs. Monaco (Saturday, 4.00pm) On the matchday where Paris Saint-Germain will face Lyon, the clash at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy will rival that for the game of the weekend, when top-four hopefuls Lille and Monaco go head-to-head. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Parma vs. Bologna (Saturday, 2.00pm) Now under new management, Serie A strugglers Parma will welcome Champions League-chasing Bologna to Stadio Tardini on Saturday. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Alaves vs. Espanyol (Saturday, 1.00pm) Two teams in the relegation mix in La Liga will lock horns on Saturday afternoon, with Alaves welcoming Espanyol. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Hibernian vs. Celtic (Saturday, 12.30pm) Seeking to quickly bounce back from their heartbreaking Champions League exit, Celtic travel to Easter Road to face Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday lunchtime. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Derby vs. Millwall (Saturday, 12.30pm) Looking to earn their first win under the stewardship of a new head coach, Derby County will welcome playoff hopefuls Millwall to Pride Park on Saturday afternoon in the Championship. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Still licking their wounds from their Champions League exit, Sporting Lisbon return to action in the Portuguese Primeira Liga when they visit the Estadio do Desportivo das Aves to face AVS on Sunday. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Famalicao and Moreirense will be looking to secure back-to-back wins for the first time since the turn of the year when they lock horns at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao on Sunday. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has admitted that David Moyes is doing a better job at Everton than he currently is at Old Trafford. 22 February 2025 sportsmole.co.uk In the latest edition of the M1 derby, Watford and Luton Town will lock horns at Vicarage Road in Sunday afternoon's offering of Championship action.