Liverpool travel to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, and while they have enjoyed steady improvements in recent weeks, losing against the relegation-threatened side would puncture the goodwill Arne Slot is trying to reclaim.
It's been a difficult campaign, and there have been more than a few bleak results that have led to online dissent, some disbelieving Reds fans calling for Slot to be sacked from his post.
The Dutch coach has fought his way through the eye of the storm, but there's no question that missing out on Europe's elite competition would be a blow he may not be able to recover.
Still, the Reds are finally starting to make headway, though they will need to battle past a Forest side who are hoping for a manager bounce, now that Vitor Pereira has replaced Sean Dyche.
How Liverpool could set up vs Forest
Nottingham Forest left Anfield with all three points in November. It was a 3-0 thrashing, and the second time in as many seasons that the Tricky Trees have defeated Slot's side in their own backyard.
Slot-1
Joe Gomez is fit again after a recent injury, but Slot is likely to persist with Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk at centre-back, with Dominik Szoboszlai's dynamism perhaps preferred at right-back.
The Hungarian's combativeness may be needed in the centre of the park, with Pereira's City Ground side among the strongest duellers in the Premier League.
Make no mistake, this might be a game whose result is determined by success down the wings.
Premier League 25/26 - Most Open Play Crosses
Team
Newcastle
Nott'm Forest
Tottenham
Liverpool
Wolves
Data via The Athletic
Mohamed Salah's recent upswing in form will see him reprise his role on the right wing, but Cody Gakpo has left much to be desired on the alternate wing, and Slot may finally want to roll the dice and make an alteration.
Slot could hand "special talent" a rare start
Gakpo, 26, arced inside to a devastating effect on many occasions throughout the 2025/26 campaign. However, he's failed to replicate that fluency in the final third this year, becoming too predictable and too one-dimensional.
After selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5m last summer, Liverpool opted against signing a direct replacement, and a large reason behind that was the emergence of Rio Ngumoha.
Liverpool star Rio Ngumoha
Liverpool star Rio Ngumoha
Ngumoha, 17, is regarded as one of the most exciting teenage talents in English football, fleet-footed and ferocious down the left flank.
Moreover, he has composure beyond his years, and he evidenced that with a stunning last-gasp goal against Newcastle United in the dying embers, extending Liverpool's frantic winning run.
That run is long gone now, and Ngumoha has not enjoyed the sustained minutes that perhaps he anticipated. Across all competitions, the England U19 star has
His former youth coach, Saul-Isakkson Hurst, once even said, "I expect him to see him on the Ballon d'Or list one day."
Youngest Scorers in Premier League History
#
1
2
3
4
5
While Gakpo is by far the more experienced and polished forward, Ngumoha boasts a kind of youthful avidity that could spell danger for Forest, especially when you consider that wing play is going to be very important on Sunday and the Dutchman's 12.7% cross success rate this term puts him in the bottom quarter of positional peers for that metric.
Ngumoha's explosive running and willingness to take on his man could be the perfect way to counter that pesky low block, and it's something Slot will want to consider.
Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha
Hailed as a "special talent", Ngumoha has shown with every senior appearance an ability to perform on the biggest stages. He does not look out of place among his elite peers, and neither does he look like he would offer considerably less than Gakpo.
Naby Keita in action for Liverpool. Related
[The new Naby Keita: Slot's "priceless" Liverpool star must now be sold](https://www.footballfancast.com/the-new-naby-keita-liverpool-joe-gomez-must-now-be-sold/ "The new Naby Keita: Slot's "priceless" Liverpool star must now be sold")
Liverpool need to ring the changes once again in the summer transfer window.