Premier League,
Round 2
Liverpool
LIV
29/08/2026
12:30
Nottingham Forest
NOT
-
Venue
- Anfield
-
Referee
- S. Barrott
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest Premier League preview
Liverpool will begin a new era at Anfield on Saturday afternoon when they welcome Nottingham Forest for their first Premier League home game of the 2026-27 season.
The Reds were held to a 2-2 draw by Newcastle on the opening weekend, while Forest have lost their first two matches under new head coach Oliver Glasner and will be looking to avoid a third straight defeat.
Iraola will now take charge of Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time, and he will be looking for a more organised defensive display. The Reds have won their opening home league game in 12 of the last 13 seasons, so there is plenty of history in their favour.
Forest, meanwhile, have endured another period of change, with Glasner becoming the club’s fifth manager in less than 12 months.
The Austrian’s reign began with a 1-0 Premier League defeat to Leeds last Saturday, before Forest suffered another loss to the same opposition in the EFL Cup three days later, going down 2-0.
A third consecutive defeat would increase the pressure on Glasner, although it would be extremely early for questions to be raised about his position.
Forest have also failed to score in four of their last six matches, which will be a concern ahead of a trip to Anfield.
Liverpool v Forest team news
Liverpool remain without several players through injury, including centre-back Giovanni Leoni and right-back Conor Bradley, who are both recovering from knee problems.
Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are therefore expected to start at full-back, with Jeremy Jacquet and captain Virgil van Dijk likely to form the centre-back pairing.
Ronald Araujo could be among the substitutes, while Joe Gomez remains unavailable due to a muscle injury.
Further forward, Hugo Ekitike continues his rehabilitation from the Achilles injury he suffered in April. Isak should therefore lead the attack, with Ngumoha, Florian Wirtz and Gakpo expected to support him.
Forest will be without defender Nicolo Savona, who is expected to remain sidelined for several more weeks after suffering a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.
Neco Williams is a doubt after picking up a knock against Leeds in the EFL Cup, with Luca Netz and Ola Aina expected to operate as wing-backs if he is unavailable.
Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo should form the back three.
Ryan Yates is also sidelined, while Gibbs-White is a doubt because of a knee strain.
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest predicted line ups
Liverpool: Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Cunha, Milenkovic, Murillo; Aina, McAtee, Sangare, Netz; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Jesus
ℹ️ Official lineups are not available yet. They are usually announced 20–40 minutes before kickoff, depending on the competition.
Liverpool v Forest stats, recent Premier League form
- Liverpool have lost their last two home league games against Forest, which is more defeats in such games than they had suffered in their previous 30 (W24 D5 L1). They’ve never lost three in a row against Forest at Anfield
- The Reds have won their first home game in 12 of the last 13 Premier League seasons, drawing the other 1-1 with Crystal Palace in 2022/23
- Their last defeat in their first match at Anfield of a league campaign was a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in 2003/04, remaining unbeaten in 22 since then (W17 D5)
- Dominik Szoboszlai has directly contributed to 11 goals across his last 16 Premier League appearances (5 goals, 6 assists)
- Cody Gakpo’s total of nine attempt involvements against Newcastle last time out (6 efforts, 3 chances created) was the most of any player on matchday one and has only previously been bettered by the Dutchman in one league game for Liverpool (8 shots, 2 chances created vs West Ham in April 2024)
- Since Forest’s return to the Premier League in 2022, no side has won more league games against Liverpool than them (3)
- Their run of two Premier League away wins against Liverpool puts Forest on the verge of becoming the first team since Crystal Palace (2015 to 2017) to win three consecutively at Anfield
- They have won their opening away game in one of the last eight league seasons (D3 L4), beating Southampton in 2024/25
- With goals in each of their last 10 Premier League away games, Forest are on the longest such ongoing run in the division and have scored 15 times across their last five games on the road
- Morgan Gibbs-White has either scored (2) or assisted (1) three of Nottingham Forest’s last six Premier League goals at Anfield
Where to watch Liverpool v Forest: TV channel, live online streams
Kick-off on Saturday is at 12:30 BST (07:30 ET / 04:30 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 1.
Streaming is available on a vast range of devices through the HBO Max app. Subscriptions start at £30.99 a month.
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest Premier League prediction
Liverpool
2 – 1
Nottingham Forest
Liverpool should have enough quality to secure their first Premier League win of the season, particularly with home advantage behind them.
Forest have caused the Reds problems in recent meetings and could find the net given Liverpool’s defensive concerns, but Iraola’s side should ultimately have enough to edge a close contest.
