Nottingham Forest v Liverpool – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Nottingham Forest host Liverpool at the City Ground on Saturday. The hosts are just four points above the drop zone whilst the Reds have a one-point lead at the top of the table. Klopp’s team won 3-0 in the reverse fixture but lost away at Forest last term.

Nottingham Forest Form

Forest initially had a new manager bounced under Nuno Espirito Santo with two wins in his first three league fixtures. Since then, it’s one win in six league fixtures and five losses in nine games in all competitions. After losing 3-2 at home to Newcastle, they needed a response.

Nuno got a tune out of his side to beat West Ham 2-0 at home with an impressive 2.32 Expected Goals differential. Last weekend, they were beaten 4-2 away to Aston Villa in a Midlands derby as they allowed 3.57 xG. On Wednesday, a late goal saw them lose 1-0 at home to Man Utd in the FA Cup fifth round.

Nottingham Forest Team News

There are three injury doubts for this match whilst two players are ruled out. Chris Wood and Nuno Tavares will play no part. Willy Boly, Ola Aina, and Ibrahima Sangare are nearing returns after taking knocks on international duty.

Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nicolas Dominguez, and Moussa Niakhate were all benched in midweek and should be recalled. There may be a temptation to switch to a 3-5-2 formation to be more solid.

Nottingham Forest Motivation

In midweek, Forest played a strong team and took the game seriously. This one is their main focus though.

A draw against a side that is high on confidence would feel like a win. They will sit back and use Elanga and Gibbs-White to launch counters, whilst using Niakhate’s long throws as another weapon.

Liverpool Form

The Reds are in top form and have been even more focused after Jurgen Klopp announced his departure. Their last 17 matches have seen just one defeat and they’re on a run of two defeats in 26 EPL fixtures. They bounced back in fine style from a 3-1 loss away at Arsenal.

Liverpool beat Burnley 3-1, Brentford 4-1 and thrashed Luton 4-1 having been a goal down. With a plethora of injuries and several teenagers featuring, they beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Carabao Cup final. On Wednesday, a young XI beat Southampton 3-0 at home in the FA Cup.

Liverpool Team News

Jurgen Klopp has been working with the bare bones in the last two matches. None of Alisson, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, or Ryan Gravenberch will be back for this match due to injuries.

Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez are doubtful but one or both could make the bench here. Dominik Szoboszlai Wataru Endo are hoping to play some part in this match. Despite his brace in midweek, Jayden Danns may be left on the bench.

Liverpool Motivation

Focus and motivation is 100% for the Reds. Their midweek trip to Sparta Prague won’t enter their thinking.

Liverpool will only accept a win in this match as a draw could see them lose the top spot. They may look to be solid at the back first and foremost with several attackers on the treatment table.

Key Stats

Nottingham Forest have lost 5 of their last 9 matches

Nottingham Forest have kept 1 clean sheet in 15 league matches

Liverpool have scored at least 3 goals in 6 of their last 7 EPL fixtures

Liverpool have won 12 of their last 14 matches

Liverpool have kept successive clean sheets (no clean sheets in 7 matches before that)

Verdict

Liverpool could be a bit thin in attack for this one and Forest won’t make life easy. Klopp’s side are justifying their ‘mentality monsters’ moniker and should grind out a narrow victory here.

Best Bet: Liverpool win and Under 3.5 goals at 2.80

Alternative Bet: Liverpool win to zero at 2.95

Goalscorer Tip: Cody Gakpo to score anytime at 2.40

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis