Liverpool host Nottingham Forest at Anfield as Andoni Iraola‘s side look for their first Premier League win of the season.
Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest
Premier League (2) | Anfield
August 29, 2026 | 12.30pm (BST)
Liverpool’s 2-2 draw away at Newcastle was far from the perfect start to the campaign, but the Reds came away with a point that will be deemed a good one if three more are added this weekend.
Return to Anfield
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, April 2, 2025: The Shankly Gates featuring the Liverpool club anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" seen before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the 246th Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. Liverpool won 1-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, April 2, 2025: The Shankly Gates featuring the Liverpool club anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" seen before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the 246th Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. Liverpool won 1-0. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Fourteen weeks have passed since Liverpool supporters said goodbye to Mo Salah and Andy Robertson in the Reds’ last competitive home match.
Iraola’s team have played two friendlies in L4 during pre-season, losing to Monaco and beating Como, but this fixture against Forest represents the regulars’ return.
Liverpool lost six and drew six matches at Anfield last season, a record that must be improved on if the new coach is to keep fans onside.
Liverpool team news: No Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa didn’t make the squad against Newcastle and he will also be absent against Forest – not that he would have started anyway.
Iraola said of the Italian: “In the game against Como he felt something at the back and it’s a small muscle injury. He is not available.”
In addition, Joe Gomez remains out, as do long-term absentees Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni.
Harvey Elliott didn’t feature at St James’ Park, and he could again be sidelined to avoid injury in case of a transfer opportunity emerging.
Liverpool’s starting XI
Despite Liverpool’s issues against Newcastle, we expect Iraola to stick with a similar lineup, if not the same.
Alisson will play in goal behind a likely back four of Jeremie Frimpong, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez.
With the hope being that playing at home mitigates some of the risk of having such an open midfield, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai will probably remain in the middle, with Florian Wirtz behind Alexander Isak.
Unless Cody Gakpo‘s prospective move to Tottenham accelerates in the hours before kick-off, the Dutchman should start on the left, as Rio Ngumoha or Victor Munoz plays on the right.
Predicted LFC XI: Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
Kevin Keegan tributes
Kevin Keegan, Liverpool. 1970s
Kevin Keegan, Liverpool. 1970s
Last weekend’s tributes to St James’ Park were befitting of the player, coach and man Kevin Keegan was.
Liverpool will again remember their legendary striker on Saturday, with a period of applause to celebrate his life. There will also be a mosaic on the Kop and the players will wear black armbands.
Forest were actually Keegan’s first opponent as a Liverpool player, with the Reds winning 3-1 at Anfield in August 1971. The debutant scored just 12 minutes in!
Nottingham Forest have already lost TWICE to Leeds at home
Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner ahead of the Carabao Cup second round match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Tuesday August 25, 2026.
Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner ahead of the Carabao Cup second round match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Tuesday August 25, 2026.
Forest arrive at Anfield with their fourth different manager in their last four visits.
Oliver Glasner’s side have experienced an unusual start to the campaign, losing twice at home to Leeds in the last week.
First was their 1-0 Premier League loss at the City Ground to a late Anton Stach strike. Their Carabao Cup knockout followed on Tuesday, as Glasner played a weakened team that lost 2-0.
Forest are still working on bringing players in so now could be a good time to play them. Then again, the same could be said of Liverpool.
Nottingham Forest team news
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 23, 2023: Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White during the FA Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Nottingham Forest FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 23, 2023: Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White during the FA Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Nottingham Forest FC at the City of Manchester Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
The manager made six changes for Forest’s Carabao Cup tie on Tuesday, so we would expect Murillo, James McAtee, Morgan Gibbs-White, Dan Ndoye and Igor Jesus to come back into the side.
Ibrahim Sangare “picked up a minor calf injury in Wednesday’s training session” so will miss the match, Glasner said.
The coach added that Gibbs-White and Ryan Yates will be available after injury issues in the opening week of the season.
Neco Williams picked up a knock on Tuesday but he is expected to be fit. New £45 million signing Liam Delap could also be in the squad.
Predicted Forest XI: Sels; Aina, Cunha, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; McAtee, Yates; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Jesus
New LFC Vice-Chairman to attend the match with John Henry
Liverpool’s prospective vice-chairman, Amit Bhatia, will be in attendance at Anfield, having been invited by John Henry.
Bhatia heads the 1892 Holdings consortium, which also includes Jeff Bezos and Eduardo Saverin. The group are in the process of purchasing a 38 percent stake in the club.
FSG remain the owners and decision makers, but Bhatia told LFCTV: “Hopefully if everything goes well, our association with the club will also be for a very, very long period of time.
“And so as and when we can see those opportunities and we feel that they’re in the best interests of the football club, as an entire group we’ll come together and try to support in the best way that we think we can.”
Who is the referee for Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, April 2, 2025: Referee Samuel Barrott during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the 246th Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, April 2, 2025: Referee Samuel Barrott during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the 246th Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Sam Barrott will referee Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest, with assistance on the touchlines from Adam Nunn and Wade Smith.
Michael Oliver is the video assistant referee and James Mainwaring is the assistant VAR. Meanwhile, Tim Robinson will act as fourth official.
Barrott has taken charge of Liverpool five times previously with the Reds winning four, the most recent of which was 16 months ago.
Did you know?
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 8, 2026: Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 8, 2026: Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha during a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and AS Monaco FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Rio Ngumoha celebrates his 18th birthday on matchday. The last Liverpool player to score for the Reds on his birthday was Sadio Mane, when he turned 30 years old at Man City on April 10, 2022.
Liverpool have not lost their first home league game of a season since 2003 (losing to Chelsea 2-1). Since then they have won 17 and drawn five of 22.
Iraola is on the longest current unbeaten run of any manager in the Premier League (19 games), since a 3-2 home loss to Arsenal on January 3 while in charge of Bournemouth.
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Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest is live on TNT Sports 1 with kick-off at 12.30pm (BST).
TIA’s matchday live blog will be up and running from 11.45am, with Henry Jackson tasked to keep you entertained and up-to-date.
Come on you Reds!
Turkey Super Lig Soccer
Mohamed Salah in action during the Turkish Super Lig soccer match between Kasimpasa and Trabzonspor in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)