Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool – News and Probable Lineups

Riding high after 3-0 victories in their last matches, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool meet again at the City Ground for a Premier League clash on Sunday.

The Tricky Trees began the Vitor Pereira era with a solid win against Fenerbahce in the Europa League, just days after the Reds showcased their dominance in an FA Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Match overview

While Arsenal are complicating their title defense at the top of the Premier League, it seems unlikely that Liverpool will manage to reclaim the title, although there remain two pathways for silverware for Arne Slot’s revitalized squad.

Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mohamed Salah all found the net as the Reds overwhelmed Brighton in the FA Cup, where they will face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round. The Champions League will soon come back into focus for the visitors as well.

The knockout stage successes have given Liverpool an impressive record of four victories from their last five matches across all competitions. However, the situation in the Premier League is less favorable, with the Reds having secured wins in just two of their last six top-flight encounters.

Nonetheless, those victories have come in Liverpool’s last three games – against Newcastle United and Sunderland – keeping the sixth-placed champions close to Manchester United in fourth place.

That recent success at Sunderland saw the Reds become the first team to defeat the Black Cats at the Stadium of Light during the 2025-26 Premier League season, but it has been since September that Slot’s team achieved back-to-back league wins away from home.

The new manager bounce was very much alive for Liverpool throughout the 2024-25 season, and once again during their Europa League match against Fenerbahce, the familiar effect was apparent when Forest took the pitch.

In his first match since the contentious departure of Sean Dyche, Pereira watched his team claim a remarkable 3-0 victory over the Turkish side, with goals from Murillo, Igor Jesus, and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Concluding a three-match streak without a win in impressive fashion, Forest’s victorious outing was not entirely surprising – across Pereira’s last 15 managerial positions, he has kept his record intact in his first match, with an impressive total of 11 wins.

The Portuguese aims to guide Wolves away from the relegation zone, as the 17th-placed Garibaldi head into the weekend just three points clear of West Ham United, although their recent form is somewhat advantageous.

Only one of the last six Premier League matches for the hosts has ended in defeat, and each of their last three fixtures at the City Ground has concluded in draws, though scoring in front of their own supporters has been a challenge.

Indeed, Forest have managed to score just once in each of their last four top-flight games at home, although their 3-0 victory over Liverpool in November marked a period of three games unbeaten against the English champions.

Team News

Liverpool’s fitness situation remains unchanged, as Slot confirmed in his pre-match press briefing that Jeremie Frimpong’s hamstring injury will keep him sidelined, although the Dutchman is aiming for a return against West Ham United on February 28.

Wataru Endo (ankle), Giovanni Leoni (knee), Conor Bradley (knee), and Alexander Isak (leg) are also unavailable for the champions, though Slot was able to offer a fresh timeline for the latter’s recovery.

Jones at right-back proved effective against Brighton, but with Ryan Gravenberch expected to return to the starting XI, Szoboszlai might take on that auxiliary defensive role instead.

On the other hand, Forest emerged from their win over Fenerbahce without any physical setbacks, yet they do not expect any injured players to return for the visit of the champions.

Willy Boly, Chris Wood, John Victor, and Nicolo Savona are all dealing with knee issues, while Matz Sels continues to struggle with a groin problem, leading to Stefan Ortega being retained as the goalkeeper.

Having scored at Anfield and again on Thursday night, Murillo and Gibbs-White could become the first Forest players to score both home and away against Liverpool in a single Premier League season since the year 2000.

Nottingham Forest probable starting XI:

Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Sangare; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

Liverpool probable starting XI:

Alisson; Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo; Ekiti

Despite the impressive debut for Pereira at Forest, the Tricky Trees may be feeling the effects of fatigue and jet lag from their successful trip to Turquia, while a well-rested Liverpool have had the entire week to recover.

Each of Forest’s last six head coaches starting a Premier League fixture has lost their initial match, and Pereira is expected to become the seventh on that list this weekend.