Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest: Iraola Aims for First Win at Anfield
Anfield gets its first Premier League lunchtime kick-off of the season on Saturday, with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest both already in need of a spark. The game kicks off at 12:30 and is live on TNT Sports 1.
Liverpool looking for control, not chaos
One point from one league game is hardly a crisis, but it is not the start Andoni Iraola would have mapped out. His Liverpool side opened with a 2-2 draw against Newcastle, a wild contest that showed the attacking promise of this new-look team and the defensive questions that still linger.
Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Rio Ngumoha give Liverpool a front four brimming with movement and invention. Behind them, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch are tasked with turning Iraola’s aggressive ideas into something more controlled. At Anfield, that usually means pinning opponents back and keeping them there.
The last time these two met, Liverpool edged it 1-0. Different season, different stakes, same expectation: Liverpool are expected to set the tempo.
Forest arrive bruised and searching for a foothold
Nottingham Forest come into the weekend with no points on the board and a cup exit already stinging. Oliver Glasner’s side were beaten 2-0 by Leeds United in the Carabao Cup, a result that extended their run to two games without a win and two straight defeats.
Forest sit 13th, still early in the campaign but already feeling the need to reset. Glasner knows this stage well. He has faced Liverpool seven times in his career, winning three, drawing two and losing two. He has also never lost to Iraola, with two wins and three draws from five meetings. Those numbers will give Forest belief that this does not have to be a damage-limitation exercise.
The challenge is clear: stem Liverpool’s waves at Anfield, then find enough composure on the ball to hurt them.
Predicted lineups: talent everywhere, gaps to exploit
Iraola is expected to stick closely to the side that drew at Newcastle, with only minor tweaks possible:
Liverpool (predicted XI)
Alisson Becker; Jeremie Frimpong, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil Van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch; Rio Ngumoha, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak.
That back four will be under scrutiny. Frimpong and Kerkez offer huge attacking thrust from full-back, but leave space behind. Van Dijk’s authority and Jacquet’s positioning will be vital if Liverpool are to avoid the kind of open, end-to-end game that can drag them into trouble.
Glasner’s Forest are likely to lean on discipline and direct running:
Nottingham Forest (predicted XI)
Matz Sels; Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Ola Aina; James McAtee, Ibrahim Sangaré, Neco Williams; Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus, Dan Ndoye.
Gibbs-White remains the creative heartbeat, while Sangaré’s job will be to disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm in midfield. Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus give Forest legs in transition, something Glasner will want to exploit if Liverpool commit too many bodies forward.
Team news: key absentees on both sides
Liverpool have a cluster of enforced absences. Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké and Giovanni Leoni are all sidelined through injury, trimming Iraola’s defensive and attacking options. It places even more responsibility on Frimpong and Kerkez to deliver both solidity and width.
Forest have their own problems. Ryan Yates and Nicolò Savona are out injured, depriving Glasner of energy and depth in midfield. With a trip to Anfield on the horizon, it is far from ideal.
Tactical undercurrent: Iraola v Glasner
There is a fascinating managerial subplot here. Iraola has never lost to Nottingham Forest, with three wins and three draws from six encounters. Glasner, on the other hand, has built a quietly impressive record against Liverpool and has yet to be beaten by Iraola himself.
Something has to give.
Iraola will want to suffocate Forest early, lock them into their own half and let Wirtz and Ngumoha operate between the lines. Glasner will try to bend, not break, then strike when Liverpool’s full-backs are stranded high up the pitch.
Both teams need a result for different reasons. Liverpool want to turn a stuttering start into momentum and reassert Anfield’s aura. Forest simply need a foothold in their season, and a statement performance on Merseyside would do exactly that.
The stage is set. Does Iraola’s Anfield blueprint finally click, or does Glasner’s knack for troubling Liverpool resurface at exactly the wrong time for the home crowd?
