Sean Dyche has been sacked by Nottingham Forest, and former Wolves manager Vitor Pereira is the leading contender to be in charge ahead of their meeting with Liverpool.
Dyche spent four months at the City Ground, but has been unable to stave off a relegation battle, leaving the team sat just three points above 18th-place West Ham United.
There is no Premier League action this weekend due to the FA Cup, where Liverpool will play Brighton and Hove Albion.
Change my mind: Liverpool would be CRAZY to let Konate leave 😣
He is back to his best!
Ibrahima Konate battles with Brian Brobbey during Liverpool's Premier League match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light (Credit: Getty Images/Stu Forster).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Stu Forster
But the Reds’ next league outing comes on February 22 against Nottingham Forest, and Pereira could be in the dugout.
Graeme Bailey of TEAMtalk has revealed that Forest are pushing hard to have a new boss in place before they take to the field in Europa League action against Fenerbahce, three days prior to the Liverpool meeting.
It’s understood that Pereira is a leading candidate for the role, ‘has already held preliminary discussions and is confident of landing the job’.
Other managers who could be in charge of Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool
While Pereira seems to be the favourite right now, there are a number of other options on the shortlist, it is reported.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
They include, but are not limited to, Paulo Bento, Diego Martinez, Oscar Garcia, Igor Tudor, and Slaven Bilic.
Will Xabi Alonso be Liverpool manager by the start of the 2026/27 season?
If no, where will he be instead?
Xabi Alonso pictured during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Real Betis at the Bernabeu (Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto
Liverpool could suffer from new manager bounce
Liverpool, for their part, will be desperate to avoid being on the wrong end of a new manager bounce as their battle for Champions League football heats up.
The win over Sunderland pushed them to within three points of Manchester United, who next take to the field in the Premier League against Everton on Monday, February 23.
At present, Liverpool are predicted to finish 5th in the division, which may be enough for Champions League qualification depending on how many places England’s top flight are awarded for the 2026/27 season.
However, the prospect of facing a new-manager bounce is not an ideal scenario for the Reds, especially as up until Dyche’s sacking, this was one of the ‘easier’ games on the horizon for Slot and his players.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox