Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest preview: Inconsistent champions seek redemption against the Tricky Trees

Liverpool welcomes Nottingham Forest to Anfield on Saturday afternoon and will be hoping to get back to winning ways.

The champions suffered a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City just before the international break.

Forest secured their first Premier League win under new manager Sean Dyche as they defeated newly promoted side Leeds United 3-1 at City Ground.

Match preview

Liverpool lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season, the only league game in which they failed to score all season. They’ve not lost consecutive home league games against Nottingham Forest since 1963.

Nottingham Forest won 1-0 away and drew 1-1 at home against Liverpool in the Premier League last season; they’ve not gone three league games without defeat against the Reds since February 1993.

Although the champions have lost five of their last six Premier League games (W1), they have won four of their five at Anfield in 2025/26 so far (L1).

The Tricky Trees are one of four sides yet to win away from home in the Premier League this season (also Fulham, Newcastle, and Wolves). The Tricky Trees have lost both of their last two away league games without scoring, last losing three in a row without a goal in October 2022.

The Reds have lost five of their last six Premier League games (W1), more than they lost in the whole of their title-winning campaign last season (4).

Forest have scored as many goals in their three Premier League games under Sean Dyche (5) as they had in their first eight of the season under Nuno Espírito Santo (4 goals) and Ange Postecoglou (1 goal) beforehand.

Mohamed Salah could make his 300th Premier League appearance for Liverpool, the fifth player to reach that figure for the Reds, after Jamie Carragher (508), Steven Gerrard (504), Jordan Henderson (360), and Sami Hyypiä (318).

Morgan Gibbs-White has scored in both of Nottingham Forest’s last two Premier League games and could score in three successive league appearances for the first time in his career. He is one goal away from becoming the fourth player to score 20+ Premier League goals for the Tricky Trees, after Chris Wood (37), Bryan Roy (24), and Stan Collymore (22).

Arne Slot will take charge of Liverpool for the 50th time in the Premier League. He has won 31 of his opening 49, with nine draws and nine defeats.

Team news

Alisson Becker could make the squad for the first time since his hamstring injury in September.

Summer signing Alexander Isak is fit to make the squad after being left out of the squad in the defeat to Man City due to fitness concerns.

Giovanni Leoni (ACL) and Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) are the only absentees for the host.

Nottingham Forest

Chris Wood, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Dilane Bakwa and Callum Hudson-Odoi will all be assessed ahead of their trip to Merseyside.

Ola Aina, Douglas Luiz and Angus Gunn are unavailable for selection due to injuries.

Predicted line-ups

Liverpool: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitiké.

Nottingham Forest: Matz Sels, Nicolò Savona, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Neco Williams, Ibrahim Sangaré, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Dan Ndoye, Nicolás Domínguez, Igor Jesus.