🏏 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 12:30 BST
Liverpool FC
vs
Nottingham Forest
4-2-3-1 vs 3-4-2-1
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Match Preview
- Liverpool return home 10th on a single point after a 2-2 draw away at Newcastle on the opening weekend. Nottingham Forest arrive 15th and still without a point, having lost 1-0 at home to Leeds. With Manchester City already on six points from two matches, neither side can afford to stall this early in the season.
- The tactical question is Liverpool's 4-2-3-1 against Forest's 3-4-2-1. Morgan Gibbs-White and James McAtee work as twin shadow strikers behind Igor Jesus, hunting the spaces either side of the Liverpool pivot of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Whether the 171cm Gibbs-White and the left-footed McAtee can turn between the lines will define Forest's afternoon.
- Neco Williams returns to the club that raised him. The 25-year-old Wales international came through the Liverpool academy and won the Champions League and the FA Cup there before becoming an attack-minded left-sided defender known for his overlapping runs and delivery. He is set to duel with Jeremie Frimpong, the 172cm Leverkusen-schooled right-back who is every bit as keen to get forward.
- Alexander Isak leads the Liverpool line after arriving from Newcastle for an English record fee. The 26-year-old Sweden international stands 192cm yet can beat defenders off the dribble, and he faces Nikola Milenkovic, the 195cm Serbia international who captained Fiorentina across 264 Serie A appearances, alongside Jair Cunha, the 198cm 21-year-old Brazilian signed via Santos and Botafogo.
- Liverpool's right flank reunites two men from Leverkusen's unbeaten Bundesliga title. Florian Wirtz, the 23-year-old Germany international, plays off the striker where his control in tight spaces and final ball are among the best around, with Frimpong sprinting outside him. Forest must respond through Williams and Murillo, the 24-year-old left-footed Brazilian centre-back whose recovery pace underpins the back three.
- A Hungarian thread runs through the home midfield. Szoboszlai, the 187cm national team captain, brings a ferocious long shot and dead-ball quality, while left-back Milos Kerkez is a 22-year-old who broke through at Bournemouth after time with AZ Alkmaar and Milan. Forest screen their defence with Xaver Schlager, signed from RB Leipzig, a 51-cap Austria international with four international goals.
- Japan captain Wataru Endo waits on the Liverpool bench. The 33-year-old was named the Bundesliga's duel king during his Stuttgart years and offers exactly the ball-winning and interception work a holding midfielder needs. If Forest keep feeding their two shadow strikers through central areas, the balance between Endo and Schlager in front of the defence could shape the second half.
- Forest have a Botafogo pipeline running from front to back. Igor Jesus, 25, helped the Rio club complete a Brazilian championship and Copa Libertadores double and scored on his Brazil debut, while centre-back Jair Cunha arrived after spells at Santos and Botafogo. Goalkeeper John Victor, the 197cm Brazilian who made his name at the same club, provides cover on the bench.
- The goalkeeping matchup is a strong one. Alisson Becker, the 33-year-old Brazil international, pairs reflex shot-stopping with the range of passing Liverpool need to build from the back. Mats Sels, 34, was voted the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 during his Strasbourg days and reads one-on-one situations sharply, which matters if both teams attack the space behind.
- Both benches could decide the closing stages. Liverpool keep back Rio Ngumoha, the 18-year-old who debuted in the Premier League at 16 and became the club's youngest goalscorer, 190cm holding midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, and 191cm Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo, signed from Barcelona. Forest counter with 191cm New Zealand captain Chris Wood, 34, and Chelsea-schooled winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.