Liverpool XI vs Nottingham Forest: Iraola's Anfield Era Begins

Anfield opens its doors for the first time this season with a strange tension in the air. Liverpool are back home, but the visitors carry an uncomfortable reminder: Nottingham Forest have won on their last two trips to this stadium.

And on the away bench sits Oliver Glasner, a coach who already knows how to hurt the Reds. He beat them twice last season with Crystal Palace. Now he returns with Forest, looking to extend a remarkable personal streak against Liverpool.

Across the technical area, the Kop welcomes Andoni Iraola for the first time in a league game at Anfield. The noise will be there. The expectation too. What Iraola sends out onto the pitch tells its own story of where Liverpool stand right now.

Team News: Key Absences and Selection Calls

The back line is still patched together. Joe Gomez remains out as he works his way back from the hamstring injury that cut short his pre-season. There is no Giovanni Leoni or Conor Bradley either, both sidelined with long-term problems that have stripped away depth in defence.

Further forward, Liverpool are also without Hugo Ekitike. The forward faces a lengthy spell out and is not expected to return until after Christmas because of an achilles issue, leaving Iraola short of another attacking option from the bench.

Federico Chiesa’s situation lingers in the background. He missed last week’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle United and is still a doubt here, with his place in the matchday squad under real pressure given the competition around him.

Harvey Elliott does not feature at all. As he moves closer to an exit, his omission underlines a squad in transition as Iraola begins to shape it in his image.

Liverpool’s Confirmed XI

Iraola’s first Anfield lineup in the 2026-27 season is bold, front-foot and clearly designed to seize control of the game early:

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk (C), Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Gakpo, Munoz, Isak.

On the bench, there is a mix of experience and raw potential: Mamardashvili, Araujo, Tsimikas, Endo, Gravenberch, Nyoni, McConnell, Koumas, Ngumoha.

The names tell you everything. Technique in midfield, pace in wide areas, and the power of Alexander Isak to lead the line. Virgil van Dijk anchors a defence that has lost familiar faces to injury but still carries authority.

Forest know this ground. Glasner knows this opponent. Anfield knows what a poor start at home can do to a season’s mood.

Now it’s down to Iraola’s first Anfield XI to change the narrative.