Iraola makes his Anfield debut: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest prediction
The second-round Premier League match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest will take place on 29 August at Anfield. The hosts began the season with a 2-2 draw against Newcastle, while the visitors lost 1-0 to Leeds and will now look to avoid a third consecutive defeat in all competitions.
Liverpool: attacking quality is there, but balance is still missing
Andoni Iraola's first Premier League match in charge was a nervy affair: Liverpool fell behind against Newcastle but rescued a draw thanks to Dominik Szoboszlai's converted penalty in stoppage time. Cody Gakpo also got on the scoresheet, although big-money signing Alexander Isak received too little support and rarely found himself in genuinely dangerous positions.
The main concerns came when Liverpool were out of possession. The Ryan Gravenberch-Szoboszlai partnership did not always manage to close down the spaces in time, allowing Newcastle to attack regularly through the middle, so Iraola will want to add more discipline ahead of his home debut.
Nottingham Forest: new manager begins with two defeats
Oliver Glasner has yet to turn the team's results around: Forest first lost 1-0 to Leeds in the league and were then beaten 2-0 by the same opponents in the League Cup. The team have failed to score in four of their last six matches, with attack clearly emerging as their main problem area.
However, recent head-to-head meetings with Liverpool have gone reasonably well for the visitors. Forest have lost only one of their previous four matches against the Merseyside club, winning twice and drawing once.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Liverpool drew 2-2 with Newcastle in the opening round.
- Nottingham Forest have lost their last two competitive matches by an aggregate score of 3-0.
- Forest have lost only one of their last four matches against Liverpool.
The hosts should take advantage of their opponents' problems: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest prediction
Liverpool are still some way from finding the right balance, but at home they should show much more aggression and control. The team have enough individual quality in attack to create chances regularly against opponents who currently look short of confidence.
Forest are capable of exploiting the hosts' problems in transition and finding a goal of their own, but the visitors' current form offers little cause for optimism. Over the course of the match, Liverpool's superior quality should make the difference.
