- Liverpool form: Liverpool have won four, drawn two and lost four of their last ten matches in all competitions.
- Forest form: Forest have won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five matches.
- Recent head-to-head: Liverpool have not won either of their last two home games against Forest.
Forest in good shape to avoid defeat at Anfield
Liverpool are heavy favorites to see off Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, but a double chance bet on the visitors to either draw or win looks good value in this contest. The Reds are 1.45 favorites for this clash, with Forest priced at 5.5 and the draw at 4.25. However, there are a few reasons for thinking that the Forest will avoid defeat in this game.
Nottingham Forest come into this game having won their last two matches, beating Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 away and Stade Brestois 29 2-0 at home. Forest have won four, drawn three and lost three of their last ten in all competitions, so they come into this in solid form.
Nuno’s side have shape and structure
Glasner's system
Oliver Glasner's side have been transformed into a back-three unit that stays compact in their own half, deploys their wing-backs well and looks to transition quickly when the ball is won. The tactician has also overseen a noticeable improvement in the side's general energy and intensity, with a back-to-front style of play that suits the best players.
Liverpool's approach
Liverpool are in a similar space, with Andoni Iraola bringing his own brand of high-energy, front-foot football to the club that is built upon a similarly aggressive counter-pressing game and fast transitions. These two sides may be mirror images of each other, which may have something to do with the fact that the H2H record is tied at 1-1 over the last two meetings (one win each).
Reds’ home record is a concern
The Reds' home results are a concern here, as they have won just four, drawn two and lost twice in eight games in all competitions at Anfield.
- They have conceded 12 goals in those eight games, and their results in that period paint a mixed picture.
- Liverpool have won three and lost two of their last five, and look just as likely to beat themselves as they do to beat the opposition.
- They lost 4-2 to Leeds United and 3-2 to AS Monaco in their previous two home matches, and were saved by Calcio Como's poor finishing last time out when they won 2-0.
Forest could exploit space behind Reds’ full-backs
Liverpool's home record against Forest is also a negative, as they have failed to win either of the last two games against the City Ground club. Oliver Glasner's men could make life difficult for the hosts by remaining compact and catching the full-backs out of position.
This is a Liverpool game and they will surely win, but Forest's recent form suggests they could get a result in this clash and the H2H record is too close to ignore. A home win and over 1.5 goals will be our alternative selection here, as Forest have only scored five goals in four away games (W1, L3), while Liverpool are more than capable of scoring multiple goals on their day.
