Forest target first league double over Liverpool since the sixties

Liverpool travel to City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Forest kicked off the Vitor Pereira era with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Fenerbahçe in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff tie on Thursday.

The Tricky Trees were held to a goalless draw by bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out in the Premier League.

Liverpool enjoyed a 3-0 FA Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion last time out. The Reds defeated Sunderland 1-0 in their last Premier League outing.

Match preview

Following their 3-0 win at Anfield in November, Nottingham Forest are looking to complete their first league double over Liverpool since 1962/63.

Liverpool have won just one of their last 15 away league games against Nottingham Forest (D8 L6), beating them 1-0 in March 2024 thanks to a late Darwin Núñez strike.

The Tricky Trees are unbeaten in their last three league games against Liverpool (W2 D1), last having a longer run against them between September 1962 and September 1963 (W3 D1).

Forest have drawn each of their last three home league games. They last had four consecutive draws at the City Ground in November/December 1998; in the last campaign, they were relegated from the Premier League.

The Reds have won just three of their last 11 Premier League away games (D3 L5). However, they did end Sunderland’s unbeaten home run last time out and are looking to win consecutively on the road for the first time since September.

Nottingham Forest have failed to score in 12 Premier League games this season, with only bottom side Wolves failing to in more (14 before their meeting with Arsenal). Two of Forest’s last five Premier League games have finished 0-0, as many goalless draws as in their previous 124 games in the competition.

This will be Vítor Pereira’s first league game in charge of Nottingham Forest. The last six Forest managers have lost their first Premier League game at the club, with Dave Bassett the last to avoid that fate in March 1997 (1-0 vs Tottenham Hotspur).

Against Sunderland last time out, Mohamed Salah recorded his 92nd Premier League assist for Liverpool, the joint-most of any player for the club, tying Steven Gerrard. The Egyptian, however, has neither scored nor assisted in his two appearances at the City Ground in the competition, one of just two venues he has played at more than once in the league for Liverpool without a goal involvement (also 3 apps at Bramall Lane).

Team news

Nottingham Forest

Willy Boly, Chris Wood, John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Matz Sels are in the host’s infirmary.

Liverpool

Jeremie Frimpong, Wataru Endo, Conor Bradley, Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni are sidelined with injuries.

Predicted line-ups

Nottingham Forest: Ortega, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Sangare, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.

Liverpool: Alisson, Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike.