Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool: Match Preview, Predictions & Betting Tips

Nottingham Forest host Liverpool at the City Ground as they hope to pick up three points in their fight for survival in the Premier League.

• Date: 02/03/24
• Kick-off time: 15:00
• Venue: City Ground

This weekend’s game between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool is an important one at both ends of the table. Forest currently sit in 16th, just four points above the relegation zone following their 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa last weekend. Three points this weekend would give them a bit of breathing room heading into an important stretch of the season. Defeat, however, could plunge them into deeper trouble.

Liverpool, in contrast, are top of the league, though their lead has been cut to just one point. Manchester City are breathing down their necks, whilst Arsenal are also only two points behind. The Gunners beat Jurgen Klopp’s side 3-1 at the beginning of this month to get them firmly back in the title race. If they beat Forest, they have the opportunity to extend their advantage, or at the very least maintain it. Any dropped points could see both of their rivals overtake them.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have kept just one clean sheet in 15 games, so Liverpool’s attack, regardless of absentees, should enjoy plenty of success. Mo Salah has scored 16 goals in 21 appearances this season, and will be confident of adding to his tally if he is available. Darwin Nunez will also be hoping to reach double digits for the season. Forest’s leading scorer Chris Wood is out, so they will be relying on the likes of Anthony Elanga and Taiwo Awoniyi to provide a scoring spark.

Since Forest were promoted in 2022, the two sides have faced each other three times in the Premier League. Liverpool have won two to Forest’s one, though the one win came in the first meeting. This fixture was at the City Ground and ended 1-0 in the favour of the hosts. Awoniyi scored the winner 13 minutes into the second half. Additionally, they met in the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2022, with Liverpool coming out on top thanks to a late Diogo Jota goal. They went on to win the competition that year.

The reverse fixture earlier this season was a comfortable Liverpool victory at Anfield. Jota and Nunez netted two quick-fire goals in the first half to put them into a commanding lead at the break. Salah added a third in the second half.

Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest have a few injury concerns. Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangare and Willy Boly all returned from AFCON with injuries, and no return date has been set. Chris Wood and Nuno Tavares are sidelined and are not expected back until late next month.

Liverpool

Liverpool have a host of injuries to contend with. Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones all missed the Carabao Cup final and their availability moving forward is in question. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Alisson will all be sidelined longer.

Nottingham Forest

In their last six games, Nottingham Forest have won once, lost three and drawn twice. This stretch began with a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, as Callum Hudson-Odoi cancelled out Justin Kluivert’s early opener just before the break. They advanced to the next round of the FA Cup with a 5-3 penalty shootout victory over Championship side Bristol City in a fourth-round replay. It finished 1-1 after 90 minutes with both goals coming in the first 15.

A tough loss at home to Newcastle followed, as they came from behind twice, but couldn’t a third time as Bruno Guimaraes scored his second and his side’s third to win the game. Anthony Elanga and Hudson-Odoi were on the scoresheet for the hosts. They responded well to this disappointment by beating West Ham 2-0 at home. Taiwo Awoniyi and Hudson-Odoi again netted deep into stoppage time in each half to secure a crucial three points.

Their most recent outing was a trip to Villa Park to face Aston Villa. They could not continue their winning momentum as they lost 4-2. They went a goal down early on as Ollie Watkins put Villa in front. Douglas Luiz added a brace before half-time to give them a commanding three-goal lead. Moussa Niakhate pulled one back in stoppage time, which restored some hope. This hope turned into belief as Morgan Gibbs-White converted another to make it 3-2, though this was short-lived as Leon Bailey soon scored Villa’s fourth.

Forest suffered a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Wednesday night in the FA Cup, as Casemiro scored a header in the 89th minute to setup a quarter-final tie with this weekend's opponents, Liverpool.

Liverpool

In their last five games, Liverpool have won four and lost one. Their most recent game was the Carabao Cup final, in which they won 1-0 at the death in extra-time against Chelsea.

They came into the final in good form, having beaten Luton 4-1 at home earlier in the week. Despite going behind in the first half, they recovered well to score four unanswered through Virgil Van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott. This was their second 4-1 win in a row, following their victory at Brentford. It was a comfortable win, with them 3-0 up after 70 minutes.

Burnley travelled to Anfield looking to upset the league leaders but went home with no points, though they did give their hosts a scare when they equalised on the stroke of half-time. Diaz and Darwin Nunez struck after the break to win the game. The most important Premier League game in this run came against title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates, but Jurgen Klopp’s men could not get the better of their opponents. Bukayo Saka put the Gunners in front, but a Gabriel Magalhaes own goal levelled the score at the break. A defensive mishap between Van Dijk and Alisson allowed Gabriel Martinelli to restore the hosts’ lead. As the Reds chased the game, Leandro Trossard added a third to put the game to bed.

Liverpool progressed through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Wednesday night as they brushed aside Southampton 3-0 at Anfield thanks to goals from Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns, the sons of ex-professional footballers Jason Koumas and Neil Danns.

Liverpool are on a high following their cup win and they will look to bring that into this game. Despite their injuries, they should enjoy lots of success - Nottingham Forest 1-3 Liverpool

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action. Footy Accumulators is the #1 football betting site for the latest on betting in the UK - download the Betting Hub app for more!

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

• Latest match predictions
• Football tips
• Football accumulator tips
• Football bet of the day