Iraola's First Home Game at Anfield: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
Anfield braces for a new era at Saturday lunchtime, as Liverpool step out under Andoni Iraola on home turf for the first time in the Premier League – and the stakes already feel sharp.
Iraola’s Anfield bow
This isn’t just another early-season fixture. It’s Iraola’s first competitive home game in charge of the Reds, and Anfield expects a response after last weekend’s scrappy 2-2 draw at Newcastle. The performance was chaotic, the point hard-earned. Today, the demand is clearer: control the game, and win it.
Oliver Glasner brings his Nottingham Forest side to Merseyside with his own ambitions of momentum in the new campaign. Both clubs are still feeling their way into the season, still searching for rhythm. One strong result here could change the whole mood.
Bold call in attack
Iraola has wasted no time stamping his authority on the team sheet. Munoz is in from the start, a bold inclusion in Liverpool’s front line. Rio Ngumoha, who started at Newcastle, drops to the bench.
The message is obvious: places are up for grabs.
Cody Gakpo keeps his spot, and that is significant. The Dutchman remains at the centre of heavy transfer interest from Tottenham, yet he starts again and remains a central pillar of Iraola’s attacking plan. For now, he is Liverpool’s man, and the responsibility sits squarely on his shoulders.
Gakpo and Munoz will spearhead a front line loaded with craft and firepower. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak join them, offering a blend of guile, movement and finishing that should trouble any defence. On paper, it looks formidable. Now it has to look the same on the pitch.
Jacquet trusted, Araujo waits
At the other end, Iraola has made another decisive call. Jeremy Jacquet, the highly rated young centre-back, keeps his place. He partners captain Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence, a clear vote of confidence after his display at St James’ Park.
Ronald Araujo, the high-profile loan arrival, must wait his turn on the bench. Under a different manager, his name might have gone straight onto the team sheet. Under Iraola, reputation alone is not enough.
Injuries bite, but expectations remain
Liverpool’s squad is far from full strength. Up front, Hugo Ekitike is still sidelined as he continues his recovery from the serious Achilles injury he suffered in April. He remains a long-term absentee and a big miss in terms of depth.
Defensively, the problems stack up. Joe Gomez is out with a muscle issue. Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are also unavailable as they work back from knee injuries, leaving Iraola with fewer options than he would like across the back line.
Even so, the demand from the stands will not soften. This is Anfield, and this is a new manager’s first home game. The injuries are real, the selection calls are bold, but the expectation is simple.
Liverpool want a first win of the Iraola era. Forest want to spoil the party. By the time the whistle blows, we’ll know which story this season is starting to tell.
