Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest: Iraola and Glasner Clash at Anfield
Anfield gets its first Premier League lunchtime kick-off of the season on Saturday, with Liverpool hosting Nottingham Forest at 12:30, live on TNT Sports 1. Early days, yes, but both sides already feel the weight of needing a result.
Liverpool searching for lift-off
Liverpool sit 10th with a single point, still waiting for their season to properly start. Andoni Iraola’s side opened with a 2-2 draw against Newcastle, a wild contest that underlined both their attacking potential and their defensive teething problems.
The Spaniard knows this fixture well. He has never lost to Forest in six meetings, collecting three wins and three draws. He also knows the man in the opposite dugout. Iraola has faced Oliver Glasner five times, winning twice and drawing three. The rivalry resumes on Merseyside.
Liverpool are expected to line up with Alisson Becker in goal and a back four of Jeremie Frimpong, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil Van Dijk and Milos Kerkez. It is a defence that mixes authority with newness: Van Dijk the anchor, Jacquet and Kerkez still bedding into Premier League rhythms, Frimpong offering relentless width.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch should again provide the engine and craft, with Rio Ngumoha adding youthful energy and invention. Ahead of them, Florian Wirtz will be asked to knit everything together between the lines, feeding a front pairing of Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak that looks built to punish any hesitation in Forest’s back line.
Injuries do limit Iraola’s options. Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké and Giovanni Leoni are all unavailable, trimming depth in defence and attack. The starting XI, though, still carries enough quality to expect control at Anfield.
Forest already under pressure
Nottingham Forest arrive with no points on the board and 13th place their early-season reality. Their most recent outing brought more frustration: a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United in the Carabao Cup, a result that extended their run to two games without a win and two straight defeats.
Glasner’s record against Liverpool offers a glimmer of encouragement. Across seven meetings with the Reds, he has three wins, two draws and only two defeats. He has found ways to trouble them before. He will need that again.
Forest’s predicted XI suggests a side set up to absorb and spring. Matz Sels is in goal, protected by Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Ola Aina. It is a back line with physical presence and decent pace, but it will be tested by Liverpool’s movement between the lines and in wide areas.
In midfield, James McAtee and Ibrahim Sangaré should sit in the engine room, with Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White offering width and creativity. Gibbs-White, especially, will be central to any counter-attacking threat, tasked with linking to a front line of Igor Jesus and Dan Ndoye.
Forest are not at full strength either. Ryan Yates and Nicolò Savona miss out through injury, denying Glasner some steel and rotation options. That only heightens the importance of his key men staying switched on in what is likely to be long spells without the ball.
Tactical threads and recent history
The last time these two met, Liverpool edged it 1-0. Narrow margins, tight contest. Expect something similar in terms of pattern: Liverpool on the front foot, Forest waiting for their moment.
The managers’ head-to-head numbers add another layer. Iraola has never lost to Forest. Glasner has more wins than defeats against Liverpool. One record will take a dent.
Liverpool’s likely XI is almost identical to the one that drew with Newcastle: Alisson Becker; Jeremie Frimpong, Virgil Van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet, Milos Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai; Rio Ngumoha, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak. Continuity suggests Iraola trusts the structure, even if the details still need sharpening.
Forest’s last starting XI, in the defeat at Leeds, showed a slightly different defensive mix: Matz Sels; Ousmane Diomande, Nikola Milenkovic, Jair Cunha, Ola Aina; Xaver Schlager, Nicolás Domínguez; Neco Williams, Igor Jesus, Chris Wood, Arnaud Kalimuendo. The predicted side for Anfield leans on Murillo at the back and introduces McAtee and Sangaré in midfield, hinting at a shift towards more solidity and ball-winning in the centre.
An early-season test of nerve
Both teams need something. Liverpool need momentum. Forest need a foothold. Anfield, as ever, will demand more than just a performance; it will demand points.
With Iraola’s unbeaten record against Forest on one side and Glasner’s positive history against Liverpool on the other, something has to give. Which manager bends first, and which team uses this early-season clash to set the tone for what comes next?
