Nottingham Forest v Liverpool – Match Preview
Liverpool hit the road to Nottinghamshire to take on the newly-promoted Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.
The pace of games doesn’t slow down. In midweek, the Reds battled their way to a narrow win over West Ham, whereas the Tricky Trees held Brighton & Hove Albion to a goalless draw.
Overview
The Reds will aim to chase the top-four spot. Their away record has been horrendous so far this season. The tally consists of just one win from six away games.
Meanwhile, it’s been a long and winding road back to the English topflight for Steve Cooper’s side. The 23-year wait was over after a decisive victory in the Championship play-off final. Emotions at the City Ground cooled down rapidly after their curtain-raiser defeat with Newcastle.
Forest are conceding over two goals on average per match. However, their back line has been reinforced since they switched to a four-man defence. Their end product is another concern, however. All these struggles brought them to the relegation zone, currently sitting at rock bottom with just six points out of 33 possible.
Head to head
The last time the two sides locked horns in the Premier League era was in 1999. That being said, Liverpool are yet to conquer the City Ground in this competition, five clashes there ended in losing twice and drawing three.
Team news
Joel Matip, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Arthur Melo are longer-term absentees.
Naby Keita and Ibrahima Konte will also spend more time on the sidelines. However, both are expected to resume full training the following week. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to be assessed ahead of the weekend.
Meanwhile, Moussa Niakhaté, Harry Toffolo and Omar Richards will be out due to injuries for the home team. Also, Lewis O’Brien is a doubt due to illness.
Summary
Liverpool’s quality is undeniable. They are set to have the majority of the ball possession and take control of the clash. Forest on the other hand will hope to sit back and wait for their chances to come.
If I were to make a prediction, I’d go for 2-0 victory for us.
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