Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest: Iraola and Glasner Clash at Anfield

Anfield gets its first Premier League lunchtime kick-off of the season on Saturday, with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest both already needing a response. The game kicks off at 12:30 and will be shown live on TNT Sports 1.

Liverpool looking for lift-off

Liverpool sit 10th with a solitary point, the table still in its early-season shuffle but the mood already demanding more. Andoni Iraola’s side opened with a 2-2 draw against Newcastle, a wild contest that showed plenty of attacking promise and just enough looseness at the back to irritate a coach who builds his football on intensity and structure.

The spine looks strong. Alisson Becker remains the safety net. In front of him, Virgil Van Dijk and Jérémy Jacquet are expected to continue at centre-back, with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez offering thrust from the full-back positions. It’s a back four built to defend high and attack even higher.

In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch give Iraola legs, power and a passing range that can rip through lines. Between them and the front line, Rio Ngumoha and Florian Wirtz bring invention and movement, the sort of fluidity that can suffocate visiting teams at Anfield.

Then there’s the front edge: Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak. Both can drift, both can finish, both can drag defenders into areas they don’t want to go. If Liverpool click, Forest’s back line will be under constant examination.

Iraola will again have to cope without Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké and Giovanni Leoni, all sidelined through injury. The squad is deep enough to absorb those absences, but the bench will have a different feel, especially in defensive rotation.

Forest arrive wounded and winless

Nottingham Forest come to Anfield with no points on the board and sitting 13th. Early days or not, two straight defeats – and two games without a win – put a little edge on Oliver Glasner’s trip to Merseyside.

Their latest setback came in the Carabao Cup, a 2-0 defeat away to Leeds United. It wasn’t just the scoreline that stung; it was the lack of incision in key moments and the sense that Forest never quite grabbed the tie.

Glasner is expected to shuffle his pack again. The predicted XI leans on Matz Sels in goal, with Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Ola Aina forming a defensive unit that will have to live with long spells without the ball.

In midfield, Ibrahim Sangaré provides the anchor, with James McAtee and Neco Williams offering energy and a route from deep to the creative hub, Morgan Gibbs-White. Up front, Igor Jesus and Dan Ndoye give Forest running power and a counter-attacking outlet, vital weapons if they’re to unsettle Liverpool on the break.

Forest are not at full strength either. Ryan Yates and Nicolò Savona miss out through injury, robbing Glasner of options in the middle of the pitch and some much-needed bite.

Tactical chess: Iraola vs Glasner

This isn’t a new meeting of minds. Iraola and Glasner know each other’s habits and triggers. They’ve faced off five times, with Iraola unbeaten: two wins and three draws. That record will not be lost on either dugout.

Glasner, though, has history with Liverpool as a club. Across seven previous clashes, he has three wins, two draws and just two defeats. He has found ways to disrupt Liverpool sides before, to turn chaos into opportunity.

Iraola’s record against Nottingham Forest is equally tidy: six games, three wins, three draws. No defeats. He has managed to control Forest teams in the past, often by pinning them back and denying them any rhythm.

The last time these two clubs met, Liverpool edged it 1-0. A tight margin, but a familiar outcome: Anfield, narrow scoreline, home side finding just enough.

Likely lineups

Liverpool (predicted):
Alisson Becker; Jeremie Frimpong, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil Van Dijk, Milos Kerkez; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch; Rio Ngumoha, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo; Alexander Isak.

Nottingham Forest (predicted):
Matz Sels; Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Ola Aina; James McAtee, Ibrahim Sangaré; Neco Williams, Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus; Dan Ndoye.

Recent selections underline the patterns. Against Newcastle, Iraola started Alisson, Frimpong, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo and Isak – an XI built to press and play. Forest’s last outing at Leeds saw Sels behind Ousmane Diomande, Milenkovic, Jair Cunha and Aina, with Xaver Schlager, Nicolás Domínguez, Neco Williams, Igor Jesus, Chris Wood and Arnaud Kalimuendo. Glasner has options, but he’s still searching for the blend that brings control and cutting edge.

Early-season stakes at Anfield

The table says it’s only August. The mood says this matters. Liverpool want a first league win, a jolt of momentum and a reminder that Anfield remains a hostile place for visiting managers, Glasner included.

Forest want something simpler: a foothold. A point, a performance, a sign that two straight defeats are a blip, not the start of a slide.

One side chasing lift-off, the other trying to stop the early-season wobble turning into a pattern. At 12:30 on Saturday, we find out which storyline takes hold.