Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest: Iraola and Glasner Clash at Anfield
Anfield gets its first big Saturday lunchtime of the Premier League season as Liverpool host Nottingham Forest, with both sides already needing a jolt to their campaigns. Kick-off is at 12:30, live on TNT Sports 1.
Liverpool sit 10th with a single point on the board after a 2-2 draw at Newcastle, a result that felt more like a let-off than a launchpad. Nottingham Forest arrive in even rougher shape: 13th in the table, no league points, and coming off a 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Leeds United.
Two coaches who know each other well. Two teams searching for rhythm. One early-season test of nerve.
Iraola looking for lift-off
Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool have shown flashes of what they might become, but just flashes. At St James’ Park, they traded blows in a 2-2 draw, threatening to cut loose in attack but leaving questions at the back.
He is likely to stick with the core that started that game. Alisson Becker anchors a back four of Jeremie Frimpong, Jérémy Jacquet, Virgil Van Dijk and Milos Kerkez. It’s a blend of authority and adventure: Van Dijk the organiser, Frimpong and Kerkez pushing high, Jacquet still bedding in.
In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch are expected to drive the game, with Rio Ngumoha offering energy and invention around them. Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak give Liverpool a front line rich in movement and finishing – on paper, one of the most fluid attacking trios in the league.
Injuries bite at the edges of Iraola’s options. Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké and Giovanni Leoni are all unavailable, trimming the defensive cover and attacking depth on the bench. Even so, Liverpool’s starting XI remains loaded.
History favours Iraola in this fixture. Across six meetings with Nottingham Forest, he has never lost – three wins, three draws. His Liverpool side also edged the last encounter between the clubs 1-0. Anfield will expect that record to continue.
Forest under pressure, Glasner unfazed
Oliver Glasner walks into Anfield with Forest on a run of two straight defeats and two games without a win. Early days, yes, but the mood can turn quickly when the table shows zero points.
The Austrian, though, has never shied away from big stages. He knows this ground, this club, and this type of occasion. Across seven clashes with Liverpool in his career, Glasner has three wins, two draws and just two defeats – numbers that give Forest a sliver of confidence in hostile territory.
His likely XI at Anfield has a solid spine. Matz Sels starts in goal, protected by Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Ola Aina. It’s a back line that can defend deep, but also step out and disrupt.
In midfield, James McAtee and Ibrahim Sangaré bring contrasting qualities: McAtee with his craft, Sangaré with his power and ball-winning. Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White carry the creative burden out wide and between the lines, while Igor Jesus and Dan Ndoye offer running and physical presence up front.
Forest’s selection is also shaped by absences. Ryan Yates and Nicolò Savona miss out through injury, removing experience and steel from the central areas. For a side trying to steady itself, those are not minor losses.
Their last outing, a 2-0 defeat away to Leeds United in the Carabao Cup, underlined the fragility of their form. Defensive lapses, blunt attacking play, and no foothold in midfield. Anfield is not the ideal place to fix all that – but it can be the place where a season suddenly turns.
A familiar duel on the touchline
Beyond the players, the dugout battle is a story of its own. Iraola and Glasner have met five times, with the Liverpool manager unbeaten: two wins, three draws. Tight games, small margins, plenty of tactical sparring.
Glasner’s broader record against Liverpool – three wins from seven – shows he understands how to unsettle this club. Pressing traps, quick transitions, awkward shapes off the ball. Iraola, meanwhile, will want his side to dictate from the first whistle, pinning Forest back with tempo and width.
The last time these clubs met, Liverpool edged it 1-0. A narrow scoreline, but enough to remind Forest how punishing even a single mistake can be at Anfield.
This time, Liverpool chase their first league win under Iraola this season. Forest chase their first league point. One wants lift-off. The other just wants a foothold.
By Saturday afternoon, we’ll know which story gathers pace.
