Preview: Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest in the Premier League Location: Anfield Start time: 15:30 To the satisfaction of the Merseyside fan base, Premier League football can finally resume now that the international break has gone.
While Nuno Espírito Santo, the head coach of Liverpool on the weekends, would also be happy with his team’s early season performance, Arne Slot has had an outstanding start to his new position.
The mighty reds rarely kick off at 3:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, especially considering that the notorious lunchtime kick (12.30 p.m.) is typically saved for the return from national breaks.
With two league games at home to come, the reds have an excellent opportunity to maintain their perfect start to the season and make sure that Manchester City’s might is contained.
Liverpool is also looking ahead to cup competitions, as the Champions League and EFL Cup start to figure in the club’s plans. For Forest and its manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, survival and the next step forward will be all that is needed, so this is a game about hanging in there in the hopes of a vital draw.
The Nottingham Forest Availability
In terms of availability, Danilo and Willy Boly, are both currently injured and not available for selection. There will of course be one or two post international issues, however, a nearly full roster of healthy assets will be available to the former Wolves manager, Nuno Espírito Santo.
Regarding early season form, the most recent outing of last season’s relegation fighters ended in a 1-1 draw at the City Ground, with Wolverhampton Wanderers earning a much-needed point.
Prior to that stalemate, a solid 0-1 away win at Southampton was recorded after another 1-1 home draw, as Bournemouth failed to overcome a resolute Forest side.
One more 1-1 scoreline availed itself after the Saints win the midweek before Bournemouth, yet that EFL Cup second round encounter eventually ended with a penalty shootout loss to their cup opponents, Newcastle United.
After three games played in the English top tier, five points have been collected thus far, which has allowed the visitors a comfortable 9th place position in the Premier League table.
A predicted line up for the away team is listed below, in a 4-2-3-1 formation. A level of patience will be demanded of this line up, as the likes of Murillo and Nikola Milenković will be asked to keep things simple.
The pace and trickery of both Anthony Elanga and Anthony Elanga will be vital to any counter opportunities, whilst I suspect that Chris Wood will be replaced by Taiwo Awoniyi at the point of the visiting attack.
GK – Matz Sels
RB – Neco Williams
RCB – Nikola Milenković
LCB – Murillo
LB – Ola Aina
CM – Elliot Anderson
CDM – Ibrahim Sangaré
ACM – Morgan Gibbs-White
RM – Anthony Elanga
CF – Taiwo Awoniyi
LM – Callum Hudson-Odoi
The Liverpool Availability
In terms of injures, Curtis Jones is now back in full training and primed for consideration, with Federico Chiesa also likely to be in contention for a call up to the first team squad. The inevitable injury that arose from the international break, saw the former Fulham academy graduate, Harvey Elliott, sustain a fractured foot in training. His assessment in the last few days has determined a six-week recovery time, therefore, the 21-year-old will not be an option for selection until perhaps early November.
The controversial round of international fixtures will now mean that some mild rotation is needed over the next batch of games, with minutes played and distances travelled all perhaps playing a part in decisions. A clean bill of health appears to be apparent for the remainder of the group, though that could change before Saturday afternoons kick off. Alexis Mac Allister may have a sustained a slight injury whilst with Argentina and will likely not be rushed back into the first team.
Below is the team I believe the Dutch boss, Arne Slot, will start for this next Anfield encounter. Liverpool have started the season brilliantly and will look to overwhelm and overcome a Forest team that may be underprepared for an elite level opponent. Curtis Jones and Darwin Núñez have both been at the AXA Training Centre for this past fortnight, therefore, could be set for their first starts of the season.
GK – Alisson Becker
RB – Trent Alexander Arnold
RCB – Ibrahima Konaté
LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)
LB – Andy Robertson
CM – Ryan Gravenberch
CM – Curtis Jones
ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai
RF – Mohamed Salah
CF – Darwin Núñez
LF – Luis Díaz
How Will This Contest Play Out
Liverpool will look to stay solid and diligent from the outset, as they continue to impress in their defensive third. Following three clean decisions sheets from the opening three games played, it will be up-to the likes of the superb Morgan Gibbs-White, and the former Liverpool striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, to find a way through the stubborn defensive line. Ultimately, the home side are in a rich vein of form and likely to carve their opponents open from varying avenues. The contest between Mohamed Salah and Murillo could be an intriguing watch, as the Liverpool recruitment team appear keen to target the giant Brazilian defender in the upcoming transfer windows.
Player to watch – Ryan Gravenberch
Score Prediction;
Liverpool 2 – 0 Nottingham Forest
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