Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool

Nottingham Forest can go from underdogs to genuine title contenders if they manage to get a league double against Liverpool tomorrow night.

It is the ultimate test for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who have won their last seven games in all competitions and kept clean sheets in their last five.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said earlier today he felt the Tricky Trees were in the title race, but Nuno was a little more cautious.

He said: “We have to play the games. We’re here to compete against all teams and I think we’re doing well, but our approach doesn’t change, it stays the same.

“We know what we can do and how we want to do it. We know each other, our strengths and weaknesses. So let’s play the game.”

Looking ahead to Liverpool. 💪 pic.twitter.com/zTyFBwaUBi

– Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 13, 2025

Asked if he felt Slot was playing mind games ahead of the game at the City Ground, the Portuguese added: “I don’t know, but we try to ignore what’s happening around us as much as possible. We never change. It’s the way we see things, the way we see the competition. I would say it’s the way we see life. It’s one day at a time, focus on our tasks and tomorrow will be difficult again.”

Forest go into the game six points behind Liverpool having played a game more, but with the knowledge they can beat the Merseysiders after their 1-0 triumph at Anfield in September.

That’s not to say that Nuno showed his opponents anything other than enormous respect.

“Salah, Diaz, Gakpo, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Van Dijk, Konate, Trent… quality everywhere,” he said.

“A fantastic team. They have shown how good they are not only in the Premier League but also in Europe. It’s about us recognizing that and approaching the game with the true respect that you need to play against Liverpool.”

Team news

Nuno said there were “no major issues” in his squad and he was likely to return to the team that won at Wolves last Monday after several fringe players were given the chance in Saturday’s FA Cup win over Luton to impress.

The same applies to Liverpool. Slot will still be without defender Joe Gomez, but otherwise has a near full squad to choose from.

Expected lineups

Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez, Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz

The statistics