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Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest – Premier League Preview

Date: Friday, 21st November 2025

Venue: Anfield

Kick-off: 15:00 BST

The international break is over, the table has taken shape, and Liverpool returns to Anfield knowing the margin for error has evaporated. Results are vital now and the odds on the Merseyside club appointing a new head coach are shortening. The reigning champions—now effectively out of the title race before December—stand on the edge of a season that needs rescuing. The pressure is intensifying, the performances have wobbled too often, and the need for stability before the January window is now the central narrative of Arne Slot’s campaign.

What comes next isn’t just a fixture. It’s the beginning of a stretch that could define Slot’s future at the club, which was in May nothing short of spectacular. With the system under scrutiny and players struggling for identity, the visit of Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest arrives with both promise and peril. A new tactical approach may be on the horizon, and Slot’s willingness to adapt could determine whether Liverpool recovers, or drifts further into an uncomfortable conversation.

Nottingham Forest: Dyche’s Discipline and Dangerous Simplicity

Sean Dyche arrives at Anfield with a game plan everyone understands but very few enjoy facing. His Forest side may not boast the established names of years past. Still, organisation, repetition, and clarity have transformed them into a stubborn, well-drilled unit that perhaps only falters due to internal politics. Dyche doesn’t do surprises—his teams defend deep, break with purpose, and find every possible moment to turn a match into trench warfare.

Since Dyche took over, Forest have rediscovered the virtues of a compact shape and direct movement, which enable them to pick up second balls. Elliott Anderson remains the heartbeat of their midfield, driving transitions and covering ground like a man possessed. With wingers who run relentlessly and Morgan Gibbs-White willing to scrap for every yard, Forest will arrive believing they can unsettle a fragile Liverpool spine that has been overrun too often this season. Concerning availability, Olaoluwa Aina, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Chris Wood, Dilane Bakwa, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Angus Gunn are all out injured. Following  11 games played in the Premier League, a disheartening 19th position is held by a team filled with international talent.

Dyche knows exactly what works at Anfield: slow the tempo, frustrate the crowd, and force Liverpool into sterile domination. With Liverpool’s midfield lacking a true defensive anchor, Elliott and his runners will target second balls and the channels between full-back and centre-half—areas Liverpool have struggled to protect repeatedly.

Predicted Nottingham Forest Lineup (4-3-3):

GK – Matz Sels

RB – Nicolò Savona

CB – Murillo

CB – Nikola Milenković

LB – Neco Williams

CM – Ibrahim Sangaré

CM – Elliott Anderson

ACM – Morgan Gibbs-White

LW – Nicolás Domínguez

CF – Igor Jesus

RW – Dan Ndoye

Liverpool: Searching for Identity, Urgency and Answers

Arne Slot knows this run of games before January must bring clarity. Whether through a shift in structure, personnel, or philosophy, the next month will tell us who Liverpool really are—and whether Slot has the tools to drag the champions back to a functional level.

The return from international duty offers the opportunity for a tactical reset. Expect a re-emphasis on control through a more rigid midfield structure, with Dominik Szoboszlai again operating as the driving force of everything good. Florian Wirtz would have returned to the left, where his freedom between the lines offers Liverpool a much-needed spark, however, he and Conor Bradley are now confirmed as injured. Mohamed Salah, still irreplaceable, must rediscover rhythm as the team continues to lean heavily on his decisiveness in the final third.

At the back, the Van Dijk–Konaté partnership needs consistency, communication, and far fewer moments of chaos. Giorgi Mamardashvili has been exposed too often; Forest will test Liverpool’s soft spots if distances between lines are not tightened and that should see Alisson Becker return.

The biggest question is whether Slot sticks or twists. A double pivot? A more compact pressing structure? Or a return to the high-energy, positionally fluid system that produced their best display of the season against Real Madrid?

Whatever the answer, it must produce results—and fast.

Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3):

GK – Alisson Becker

RB – Curtis Jones

CB – Ibrahima Konaté

CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Andy Robertson

ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai

CM – Alexis Mac Allister

CM – Ryan Gravenberch

RW – Mohamed Salah

CF – Hugo Ekitike

LW – Cody Gakpo

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The Tactical Picture

Forest will sit deep, defend in numbers, and wait for Liverpool’s usual vulnerabilities: slow transitions, isolated centre-backs, and midfielders unable to win the second phase. Liverpool must impose pace and movement, not possession for possession’s sake.

Cody drifting inside, Salah attacking the right-side channel, and Szoboszlai’s dynamism will be essential. Slot’s biggest task is avoiding the stagnation that has plagued them all season.

A fast start could transform the mood. A slow one could turn Anfield restless.

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Player to Watch: Dominik Szoboszlai

In a squad searching for leadership and consistency, the Hungarian powerhouse remains the one player whose standards rarely dip and is the Reds’ standout player this season. Szoboszlai’s aggression, running power, and set-piece quality may be the difference in a match where territory and tempo will matter more than ever.

The pressure is real. The opponent is awkward. But Liverpool simply has to respond.

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Steven Smith’s Score Prediction:

Liverpool 2 – 1 Nottingham Forest

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