Liverpool Seek First Win Against Nottingham Forest
Anfield gets its first real taste of the Andoni Iraola era today, and the stakes arrive early. Liverpool are still hunting their first victory of the new Premier League season, with Nottingham Forest the visitors in the lunchtime kick-off.
Iraola’s competitive bow as Liverpool head coach at St James’ Park was chaotic, raw and almost disastrous. His side trailed Newcastle 2-1 deep into stoppage-time on the opening weekend, staring at defeat on day one. Then came the lifeline. With the final kick of the game, Dominik Szoboszlai buried an emphatic penalty to steal a point and spare Liverpool an opening-day inquest.
Now the expectation changes. At Anfield, in daylight, Liverpool are expected not just to perform, but to win.
There will be no first glimpse of Bradley Barcola in red, though. The forward is on course to join from Paris Saint-Germain before the transfer window shuts next week, yet the deal has not been completed in time for him to feature today. His debut will have to wait.
Forest arrive with problems of their own but also with a strangely powerful recent history on this ground. Oliver Glasner’s side have stumbled out of the blocks, losing back-to-back home games to Leeds United and tumbling out of the Carabao Cup in midweek. Confidence has taken a hit.
Even so, Glasner knows Anfield well from his Crystal Palace days and has caused trouble here before. He now has a new weapon: Liam Delap is available for a debut after sealing a £45million move from Chelsea earlier in the week, adding fresh energy and aggression to Forest’s attack.
And then there is the statistic that will nag at Liverpool all morning. Forest travel to Merseyside chasing a third straight season of leaving Anfield with all three points and a clean sheet. For a club fighting to reassert its home aura under a new head coach, that is a record that cannot be allowed to grow.
How to watch Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
- TV channel: In the UK, the match will be shown live on TNT Sports. Coverage begins at 11am BST on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off at 12.30pm.
- Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can watch the game online via the HBO Max app and website.
A new manager on the Anfield touchline, a restless home crowd, and a Forest side chasing an improbable hat-trick of away shutouts. For Liverpool, this feels less like a gentle early-season outing and more like an immediate test of what Iraola’s reign is going to look like.
