Iraola's First Anfield Test: Liverpool vs Forest Preview
Anfield stages a new beginning on Saturday lunchtime as Liverpool host Forest in the Premier League – and all eyes are on Andoni Iraola.
This is his first home game in charge of the Reds, a landmark afternoon for a manager eager to stamp his identity on one of English football’s most demanding stages. The Kop will expect noise, energy and, above all, a first competitive win.
Iraola’s first Anfield test
Liverpool arrive with work to do. A scrappy 2-2 draw at Newcastle opened their campaign, a result that hinted at attacking promise but also left questions about control and defensive cohesion. Iraola cannot afford a slow start in front of his new home crowd.
Across the technical area, Oliver Glasner brings Forest to Merseyside with his own ambitions of early-season momentum. It is the kind of fixture that can tilt a mood: three points here, and Forest’s campaign feels alive; defeat, and the early table already starts to look uncomfortable.
Bold call in attack
Iraola has not tiptoed into this one. He has gone bold.
Munoz is thrust into the starting XI, a clear statement of intent in the Liverpool attack. The forward replaces Rio Ngumoha, who drops to the bench, and his inclusion sharpens the edge of a front line already packed with talent.
Just as significant is the name that stays on the teamsheet. Cody Gakpo starts again. Tottenham’s heavy interest in the Dutchman continues to swirl in the background, but inside Anfield he remains central to the plan, not a distraction.
Gakpo and Munoz are set to combine in an aggressive forward unit that also features Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. On paper, it is a quartet built to overwhelm: movement between the lines, creativity from Wirtz, penalty-box presence from Isak, and Gakpo’s versatility tying it all together. If Liverpool click, Forest’s back line will face a long afternoon.
Defence shaped by youth and injuries
At the other end, Iraola’s hand is partly forced and partly deliberate. Jeremy Jacquet, the highly rated young centre-back, keeps his place alongside captain Virgil van Dijk. It is a partnership that blends raw potential with one of the game’s most experienced organisers.
Ronald Araujo, the loan signing many expected to walk straight into the side, must again wait his turn on the bench. For now, Iraola is backing Jacquet to grow in the heat of Premier League combat, not from the safety of the sidelines.
Injuries frame much of the rest of the team sheet. Up front, Hugo Ekitike is still absent as he continues a long rehabilitation from the serious Achilles injury he suffered in April. His absence narrows Iraola’s options if the game turns into a physical battle late on.
The defensive picture is even more strained. Joe Gomez remains out with a muscle issue, while Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are still working their way back from knee problems. The depth chart at the back looks thin, and everyone inside the club knows it.
A chance to set the tone
So the stage is set: a new manager’s first Anfield outing, a patched-up defence, a fearless attacking selection, and an opponent hungry to spoil the party.
For Iraola, this is more than just three points. It is the chance to show Anfield what his Liverpool will look like – and to prove that, even amid injuries and transfer noise, the Reds can still dictate the story of a Premier League afternoon.
