Liverpool will host Nottingham Forest at Anfield in the English Premier League on Saturday, August 29, at 12:30 PM local time (11:30 GMT). Both teams are seeking their first wins of the season after Liverpool drew 2-2 against Newcastle in their opening match, while Forest lost twice to Leeds, including a 1-0 defeat in their league opener and a 2-0 loss in the League Cup.
Liverpool's new manager, Andoni Iraola, is looking to strengthen his squad and is reportedly close to signing French forward Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain. The team is also interested in Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh and Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr to replace Mohamed Salah, who has left the club. Iraola acknowledged the need for more wingers, stating, "We cannot talk about players that right now are not ours, but it is evident that we are trying to improve or try to fill that position because we don’t have the numbers."
Cody Gakpo, who scored in the match against Newcastle, is reportedly a target for Manchester City and Tottenham, leading to speculation about his future at Liverpool. Iraola commented on the uncertainty of player movements during the transfer window, saying, "When the market is open, you cannot guarantee anything with anyone. You never know who’s going to arrive."
Nottingham Forest's coach, Oliver Glasner, expressed frustration with the team's recruitment and the challenges they face after a difficult previous season that ended with a relegation battle. He noted, "This team had a relegation battle for nine months... and this is our starting point. It’s really very important not to blame anybody."
Forest recently broke their transfer record by signing striker Liam Delap from Chelsea for a reported £45 million ($61 million). The Opta supercomputer has given Liverpool a 61.1% chance of winning the match, while Forest has an 18.2% chance, and a draw is estimated at 20.7%.
Historically, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest have faced each other 124 times, with Liverpool winning 61 matches, Forest winning 33, and 30 ending in draws. In their last encounter, Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory at Forest, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring a late winner.
Liverpool will be missing several players due to injuries, including Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, and Joe Gomez. The expected lineup for Liverpool includes Alisson (goalkeeper), Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Munoz, Wirtz, Gakpo, and Isak. Forest's lineup may include Sels (goalkeeper), Cunha, Milenkovic, Murillo, Aina, McAtee, Sangare, Netz, Gibbs-White, Ndoye, and Jesus, although they have injury concerns with Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White.