Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool: Premier League Preview, Team News & Key Stats
Nottingham Forest will host Liverpool in a crucial Premier League encounter, seeking to achieve their first league double against the Reds since the 1962-63 season. The match comes after their significant 3-0 victory at Anfield in November.
Historical Context
Historically, Nottingham Forest has faced challenges against Liverpool, particularly in recent away matches. Liverpool has only managed one win from their last 15 league games at Forest, capturing a narrow 1-0 victory in March 2024 with a late goal from Darwin Núñez.
Recent Trends
- Nottingham Forest remains unbeaten in their last three league matches against Liverpool, with two wins and one draw.
- Prior to this, their longest unbeaten streak against the Reds was four matches from September 1962 to September 1963.
- At home, Forest has drawn their last three league games, struggling to secure a victory. Their last occurrence of four consecutive draws at the City Ground was in late 1998, during their relegation season.
Liverpool’s Away Performance
The Reds have struggled on the road, winning only three of their last 11 Premier League away matches, accumulating three draws and five losses in that span. Liverpool’s most recent match against Sunderland saw them break an unbeaten home streak, and they aim for back-to-back away victories for the first time since September.
Scoring Challenges
In the current season, Nottingham Forest has particularly struggled to find the back of the net, remaining scoreless in 12 of their Premier League matches. Only Wolverhampton Wanderers, bottom of the league, have performed worse than Forest in this context.
- Two of Forest’s last five Premier League outings ended in goalless draws, equaling the number of goalless matches they had in their previous 124 games.
- In terms of set-pieces, Forest has scored six goals but conceded 13, leading to a negative difference of seven goals. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s set-piece record shows eight scored and 14 conceded, resulting in a negative difference of six.
Managerial Changes
Vítor Pereira will be managing Nottingham Forest for the first time in this league match. Historically, the last six managers at the club have lost their opening Premier League game, with Dave Bassett being the last to avoid this pitfall back in March 1997.
Player Highlights
In November’s win against Liverpool, Nottingham Forest saw contributions from Murillo, Nicolo Savona, and Morgan Gibbs-White. Only two players in the club’s history have scored against Liverpool both at home and away in the same season: Dougie Freedman in 1998-99 and Steve Stone in 1995-96.
Notable Achievements
Mohamed Salah, in the match against Sunderland, tied with Steven Gerrard for the most Premier League assists for Liverpool, reaching both a significant milestone of 92 assists. Despite his impressive record, Salah has yet to score or assist in his two appearances at the City Ground.
