Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest: Early Season Test at Anfield

Anfield gets its first Premier League lunchtime kick-off of the season on Saturday, and it arrives with both Liverpool and Nottingham Forest already feeling the weight of the table.

Liverpool sit 10th with a single point. Nottingham Forest are 13th and still waiting to get off the mark. It’s early, but the mood around each club could swing sharply by the time the 12:30 TNT Sports 1 broadcast cuts to black.

Iraola’s Liverpool still finding their feet

Andoni Iraola’s side opened their league campaign with a 2-2 draw against Newcastle, a game that underlined both their attacking promise and their defensive teething problems.

Alisson Becker remains the anchor in goal, but the structure in front of him has a fresh, almost experimental feel. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez offer width and aggression from full-back, while Virgil Van Dijk now marshals a back line that includes Jérémy Jacquet, another sign that Iraola is not afraid to trust new pieces on a big stage.

Further forward, the technical level is high and the potential even higher. Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch bring energy and drive in midfield, with Rio Ngumoha and Florian Wirtz expected to knit attacks together between the lines. Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak give Liverpool movement, height and finishing in the final third. On paper, it’s a side built to overwhelm.

Injuries, though, trim Iraola’s options. Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké and Giovanni Leoni are all unavailable, restricting the manager’s ability to rotate or change shape from the bench if the game becomes a tactical grind.

The last time these sides met, Liverpool edged it 1-0. The expectation at Anfield will be for something more convincing this time.

Forest under Glasner chasing a response

Nottingham Forest arrive on Merseyside wounded. Two straight defeats, two games without a win, and a 0-2 loss to Leeds United in the Carabao Cup that did little to lift spirits.

Oliver Glasner has history against Liverpool – seven meetings, three wins, two draws, two defeats – and he knows how to set up a side to frustrate them. His record against Iraola is also instructive: five clashes, no defeats, with two wins and three draws. Glasner rarely goes quietly.

His likely XI at Anfield has a solid spine. Matz Sels starts in goal, shielded by a back line that includes Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo, with Ola Aina offering experience and athleticism down the flank. In midfield, Ibrahim Sangaré provides power and protection, while James McAtee and Neco Williams can help Forest spring forward when space appears. Morgan Gibbs-White remains the creative hub, with Igor Jesus and Dan Ndoye expected to stretch Liverpool’s defence on the break.

Forest’s last outing, that cup defeat to Leeds, saw a different configuration – Ousmane Diomande, Xaver Schlager, Nicolás Domínguez, Chris Wood and Arnaud Kalimuendo all started – but the outcome was the same: no goals, and questions about cutting edge.

Glasner also has fitness concerns. Ryan Yates and Nicolò Savona miss out through injury, removing two options who could have added steel and depth in midfield.

Tactical chess and familiar faces

Beneath the early-season noise, this fixture carries a fascinating managerial subplot. Iraola has never lost to Nottingham Forest in six meetings, collecting three wins and three draws. Glasner, for his part, has never been beaten by Iraola in five attempts.

Something has to give.

Liverpool will look to pin Forest back, use Frimpong and Kerkez high up the pitch and allow Wirtz and Ngumoha to roam in pockets that are difficult to track. If the home side move the ball quickly enough, Gakpo and Isak will not be short of service.

Forest’s route is different but clear. Stay compact, lean on Sangaré’s ability to break up play, then release Gibbs-White and the wide forwards into the spaces left behind Liverpool’s adventurous full-backs. One clean counter could tilt the afternoon.

The margins between a restless Anfield and a buoyant one can be thin in August. With Iraola chasing his first league win of the campaign and Glasner trying to halt a losing run, this is more than just another early kick-off.

For one of them, Saturday feels like the moment the season really starts.