Liverpool will go up vs Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, hoping to build on their recent win over Leeds United and pick up a positive result at home.
Liverpool still have a slim chance of securing European football next season and they will need to finish the season strongly, starting with the game vs Nottingham Forest. Jurgen Klopp will demand a strong performance from his players here and it remains to be seen whether they can grind out all three points.
Nottingham Forest picked up a 1-0 win over Liverpool at home earlier this season, and the home side will be looking to avenge that defeat here. The Reds are currently eighth in the league table with just one win from the last five league matches.
However, the performance against Leeds United was impressive and the fans will be expecting a similar showing here. Nottingham Forest are 18th in the league table with five defeats in the last six league matches.
They will be desperate to pull clear of the bottom three and a win at Anfield could be massive for their survival hopes. It remains to be seen whether Nottingham Forest can pull off an upset here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
We return to Anfield for #LIVNFO on Saturday 🏡 pic.twitter.com/e1sCqPneXb
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 20, 2023
Team News and Tactics
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp will be without the services of Calvin Ramsay and Stefan Bajcetic. Both youngsters have been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Naby Keita has missed recent games because of a muscle injury, and the 28-year-old is likely to be sidelined for this one as well.
The Reds are expected to start in a 4-3-3 formation, with Alisson Becker in goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson will start as the full-backs. The two players were excellent against Leeds as they will look to add creativity from the wide areas. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Virgil Van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
Fabinho is set to anchor the Liverpool midfield, and he will look to break up the opposition’s attacks. Thiago Alcantara will look to dictate the tempo of the game alongside the Brazilian, and Curtis Jones should retain his place in the side on the back of a couple of very impressive performances.
Cody Gakpo is set to lead the line for the Reds, with Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota on either side of him. Jota and Salah were exceptional against Leeds and they will be looking to add to their goal tally at Anfield on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Thiago, Fabinho, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Jota
Nottingham Forest
The visitors are without the services of Giulian Biancone, Chris Wood, Willy Boly, Cheikhou Kouyate, and Omar Richards because of injuries. The away side are likely to start in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Keylor Navas in goal.
Felipe is set to start in the back three alongside Moussa Niakhate and Scott McKenna. Neco Williams and Renan Lodi will start as the wing-backs. The two players will look to help during counter-attacks and create opportunities for the teammates in transition.
Danilo will start in the central midfield position along with Remo Freuler. Morgan Gibbs-White will be the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to take advantage of Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities and create goal-scoring opportunities. Finally, Brennan Johnson will lead the line for Nottingham Forest along with Taiwo Awoniyi.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Navas; Felipe, Niakhate, McKenna; Williams, Danilo, Freuler, Lodi; Gibbs-White; Johnson, Awoniyi
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have lost five of their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Nottingham Forest have conceded at least two goals in seven of their last eight matches in the Premier League.
- Liverpool have failed to win four of the last five Premier League matches.
- Nottingham Forest have failed to score in their last two league matches.
- Mohamed Salah has been involved in nine goals in his last five home games for Liverpool in all competitions (6 goals, 3 assists), scoring in all five matches. The Egyptian himself was the last Liverpool player to score in six in a row at Anfield, doing so in March 2018.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah makes it look easy 😪 pic.twitter.com/AjuqNOCwDw
— GOAL (@goal) April 17, 2023
The Egyptian international is coming into this game on the back of eight goals in his last ten matches for club and country. Salah has been in red-hot form for Liverpool despite their struggles the season. He has the quality to take advantage of Nottingham Forest’s defensive vulnerabilities, and he is our man to watch out for.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Liverpool are undoubtedly the better team here, and a win vs Leeds United will have given them an immense confidence boost ahead of the visit of Nottingham Forest. The home side will be desperate to put together a winning run and end the season strongly.
European qualification is still a possibility, and Jurgen Klopp will not want his players to give up just yet. Nottingham Forest are fighting for their survival, but they simply do not have the quality to match up to Liverpool at Anfield. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home side.