Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Forest had a superb win in midweek but they’re winless in five home league matches. The Reds have lost just two of their last 18 matches. The reverse fixture ended 3-0 to Forest at Anfield in November.

Nottingham Forest Form

Forest have had some wildly inconsistent form. They lost to Wrexham in the FA Cup but managed a 0-0 home draw vs Arsenal and won 2-0 at Brentford. They thrashed Ferencvaros 4-0 in the Europa League in a fine performance.

At home, they’re struggling to win. A 1-1 home draw vs Crystal Palace was followed by a 3-1 loss at Leeds. After only drawing 0-0 at home to Wolves, despite having 35 shots, Sean Dyche was sacked. Vitor Pereira oversaw a fine 3-0 win at Fenerbahce on Thursday night. His side dominated the shot count 23-6 on the night.

Nottingham Forest Team News

Chris Wood is injured up front, whilst Willy Boly is absent in defence. With Matz Sels injured in defence, former Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno will play in goal.

Coach Vítor Pereira used his best XI in midweek. With a 3-0 first leg lead, they can give full focus to this Liverpool match and use their best XI.

Nottingham Forest Motivation

Forest desperately need points in their battle for survival. They will play to win this match, but a draw is not a bad result.

Pereira uses an attacking style with fast breaks. They will look to disrupt Liverpool and use their fast wingers to lead counters.

Liverpool Form

Liverpool’s last 18 matches have seen just two losses. However, they’re drawing way too many games. A 1-1 home draw vs Burnley made it four straight EPL stalemates. They won 3-0 at Marseille but lost 3-2 at Bournemouth in the last minute.

A 6-0 home thrashing of Qarabag preceded a fine 4-1 home win over Newcastle with seven big chances created. A 2-1 home defeat to Man City was a blow, but they’ve bounced back with two wins. They won 1-0 at Sunderland with 23 shots and beat Brighton 3-0 in the FA Cup.

Liverpool Team News

Arne Slot is still without three defenders in Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremie Frimpong. Joe Gomez is fit again, but the coach may prefer Curtis Jones in that role.

Alexander Isak remains out injured up front. Dominik Szoboszlai is available again for league action after a suspension. Hugo Ekitike will return up front in place on Federico Chiesa.

Liverpool Motivation

Arne Slot’s team needs a win in the race for a top four spot. A draw is not a good result as they could lose ground on Chelsea and Man Utd.

Liverpool will try to control possession and the spaces. They won’t open up too much against the transitional pace that Forest offer.

Key Stats

• Nottingham Forest are winless in 5 home league matches (3 draws, 2 losses)
• Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in 3 matches vs Liverpool (2 wins)
• Liverpool have lost just 2 of their last 19 matches
• Liverpool have won just 2 of their last 4 league matches (2 losses, 4 draws)
• Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike has scored 3 goals in his last 4 matches

Verdict

Forest look full of confidence under their new coach. Their record against Liverpool suggests they may take something from this game.

Best Bet: Nottingham Forest win/draw double chance at 2.00

Value Bet: Draw at 3.90

Goalscorer Tip: Hugo Ekitike to score anytime at 1.93