Nottingham Forest play Liverpool at the City Ground this afternoon, looking to ease their relegation fears.
Since winning promotion, Forest have a pretty decent record against Liverpool, and Vitor Pereira will hope for a positive performance from his team today.
Would you be happy with this team against Liverpool?
Who is unlucky to miss out?
Arne Slot was rattled by Forest last season when Nuno Espirito Santo masterminded a 1-0 win at Anfield, deploying a flat midfield four made up solely of central midfielders.
The challenge of playing Liverpool will be tough today, but after a 3-0 win over Fenerbahce, confidence will be sky high in the Forest dressing room.
Chris Sutton makes Nottingham Forest prediction
Forest have been told by a number of pundits that sacking Sean Dyche was the wrong thing to do, and Sutton is the latest to make that suggestion.
Sutton doesn’t think Forest will get anything from today’s game, backing Liverpool to come out on top against the Reds – just like they did last time out in the Premier League against Sunderland.
The Forest supporter predicted a 1-0 win for the away team and told BBC Sport: “When Vítor Pereira went in as the Wolves manager in December 2024, he did brilliantly to keep them up – but he has essentially taken them down this season, picking up only two points from 10 games before he was sacked.
MORE FOREST STORIES
Now he has arrived at Forest as their fourth manager of the season.
I don’t think his predecessor, Sean Dyche, deserved the sack. Based on the results in his 18 games in charge, Forest would be 12th in the table, but we are used to seeing managerial changes at the City Ground now.
We know Pereira will try to keep things tight, but Forest’s biggest issue throughout this campaign has been scoring goals and I am not sure they will be able to get at Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s side became the first team to win at the Stadium of Light when they edged out Sunderland in their last league game, and I can see a similar outcome here.”
Forest have to get the fans on side at the City Ground
Frustrations were evident from the stands in the last Premier League game against Wolves, and the 0-0 draw led to Sean Dyche being sacked by the club.
Fans should be confident today after the change in manager and the win in midweek, but the challenge is staying positive during an afternoon that could prove to be a tough one.
Forest have to take the game to Liverpool and there have been times this season when today’s visitors have looked somewhat fragile across the campaign.
Scoring first might be key and if Forest can start well and find the way to goal early doors, it could prove to be a very fruitful afternoon for the Reds.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox