According to the slot, Nuno’s men are title rivals
Arne Slot believes Nottingham Forest are in the running for the Premier League title and expects another tough test when he takes Liverpool to the City Ground tomorrow night.
Forest have defied the relegation battles predicted before the season with wonderful form and now sit third in the table – six points behind leaders Liverpool, who have played a game longer.
They have won six league games this season and a seventh game would have brought them closer to the Merseysiders.
Slot said: “I have always said that the best way to judge the table is halfway through the season. That moment is here now. If Forest can keep up with us, Arsenal and Chelsea then they are definitely a team to compete with us and the others.
“If you look at the way they play and their results, it’s deserved. It will be a very difficult challenge for us to get a result.”
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Arne Slot comments on whether he thinks Nottingham Forest are title contenders 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gGii5eU8gI
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Anfield defeat not a big shock – slot
Forest are the only team to beat Liverpool in the league this season, having triumphed 1-0 at Anfield in September.
“They have already shown in hindsight what a good team they are,” he added. “When Liverpool loses a home game it’s something you don’t expect. The defeat that day was difficult for us to bear. When I look back now and see where they are in the league, it’s not as surprising a result as I thought at the time.
“They had a good game plan and I expect their wingers, who have done so well, to be in the starting line-up tomorrow.”
Having given game time to some of the club’s fringe players in the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley at the weekend, Slot will remember the big guns for the clash with Forest.
However, defender Joe Gomez remains out due to injury while striker Darwin Nunez is suspended.
Praise for Nuno
Liverpool can expect to have the majority of possession tomorrow night as Nuno Espirito Santo sets Forest up for the counter-attack, a style that has proven successful this season.
Slot said: “They have a hard-working team without the ball and they can hold the ball.” Chris Wood is a very good example of this.
“They often scored goals and were a threat on the counterattack, but they also have quality when they want to play with the ball.
“Nuno has done a great job of implementing a style of play that suits the players.
“They are a team that hardly concedes any goals. They don’t take a lot of risk in the build-up game, so if they lose the ball they have a lot of players behind the ball and defend with eleven players.”
