Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

This is a tough one to call. Liverpool have been impervious all season but have shown some very small signs of wobbling in recent weeks, while Forest are playing out of their skin. Of course, Forest have beaten Liverpool already this season, and are the only team to do so, so this is quite a psychological challenge for the Reds.

Both teams to score has occurred in four of Liverpool's last five in the league so we think they'll struggle to keep Forest out for 90 mins, and ultimately, we fancy Nuno's men to claim a big point here. Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool.

Arguably the most intriguing game of the weekend in the Premier League comes from the Midlands, where Nottingham Forest lock horns with Liverpool.

• Date: 14/01/2025
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: City Ground, Nottingham

Nottingham Forest are currently 3rd in the Premier League with 40 points from 20 games. Without a shadow of a doubt, Forest have been the most impressive side in the league this season pound for pound, as they find themselves level on points with Arsenal in 2nd place. Under Nuno Espírito Santo, Forest are one of the most well-balanced sides in the league and have serious hopes of claiming a top four finish.

The expectation has largely been that Forest will drop off at some point, but they don’t look remotely like slowing down as they come into this game off the back of six consecutive wins in the league. Not only that, but they’ve now kept four clean sheets on the bounce, and their total of just 19 goals conceded in the league is bettered by only Arsenal.

In the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White, Forest have two of the most exciting midfielders in the league, while full-back Ola Aina has been a Team of the Season contender so far. With 12 goals, Chris Wood is also one of the most potent strikers in the league, showing Forest have quality littered all over the park.

This season truly has been a dream for Forest, and their top four goals are very real. However, it will still take a monumental effort to maintain their level until May, as there are a number of teams breathing down their neck. There is also a valid question surrounding Forest’s depth, as a couple of injuries to key players could prove fatal to their top four chances.

Regardless, what they’re currently doing can only be applauded, and as the only team to have beaten Liverpool in the league so far, they have a chance here to complete a historic double that would go some way to making their Champions League dream a reality.

Liverpool come into this game top of the league with 46 points from 19 games. The Reds are having an excellent season and are smashing all pre-season expectations out of the park as they surge towards their second Premier League title.

Liverpool’s transition from Jürgen Klopp to Arne Slot has largely been seamless, and given they brought in few new first-team players in the summer, the level they’ve shown so far this season has been extremely impressive.

The discourse gives the impression that most people think Liverpool have the league sewn up, but while they’re clearly heavy favourites to win the crown, their cushion over Arsenal is only six points - albeit with a game in hand. Arsenal haven’t been setting the world alight, which works in Liverpool’s favour, but a brief run of poor form could easily flip the title race on its head.

Whether Liverpool dip into the transfer market remains to be seen; there have been rumours of them making a run at Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but nothing concrete as of yet. As previously mentioned, Nottingham Forest already have one win over Liverpool this season, and with the Reds have one draw and one defeat from their last two games, there’ll be a few on Merseyside who are quite nervous for this one.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 1.

Nottingham Forest Team News:

With Brazilian midfielder Danilo back fit, Ibrahim Sangaré is Nottingham Forest's only injury absentee, putting them in a very healthy position early on in the year.

Forest have had a pretty settled XI in recent weeks, so it's likely we'll see quite a bit of continuity from Nuno Espírito Santo here.

Predicted lineup: Sels; Aina, Milenković, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Domínguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.

Liverpool Team News:

The Reds will be without Darwin Núñez for this one, who is unavailable through suspension, while Joe Gomez will likely miss out through injury.

After a quiet couple of games, Curtis Jones could make way for Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield.

Predicted lineup: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Díaz.

Nottingham Forest:

Nottingham Forest come into this game amidst an outstanding run of form, winning all of their last five games without conceding a single goal. In their FA Cup third round tie at the weekend, Forest ran out 2-0 winners over Luton Town thanks to goals from Ryan Yates and Ramón Sosa, which came after a convincing 3-0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, courtesy of Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Before that, Forest beat Everton 2-0 through goals from Wood and Gibbs-White, which came after a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, thanks to Anthony Elanga, and beat Brentford 2-0, with the goals coming from Ola Aina and Elanga.

Liverpool:

Liverpool enter this one with three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five games. Most recently, Liverpool sailed to a win over Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup as goals from Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa resulted in a 4-0 win.

Prior to that, Liverpool lost 1-0 at Tottenham after drawing 2-2 with Manchester United, where Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah scored the goals.

Those results were preceded by a thumping 5-0 win away at West Ham - with the goals coming from Luis Díaz, Gakpo, Salah, Alexander-Arnold and Jota - and a 3-1 win over Leicester, thanks to Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Salah.

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