Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest kicks off on 29 Aug 2026 at 07:30 EST and 12:30 GMT.
How did both sides get on in their opening matches?
Liverpool twice came from behind to claim a 2-2 draw against Newcastle with strikes from Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty on an emotionally charged afternoon at St. James' Park. Forest got off to an indifferent start under new boss Oliver Glasner, losing 1-0 at home to Leeds, who snatched a late win thanks to Anton Stach's direct free-kick. Glasner left big-money defensive recruit Ousmane Diomande on the bench and introduced Xaver Schlager late in the contest.
Getty ImagesA new man at the helm for both clubs
Andoni Iraola has arrived at Anfield from Bournemouth to replace Arne Slot, who was sacked after an underwhelming 2025-26 season in which the Reds finished fifth. Iraola took the Cherries into Europe last season despite losing key defenders and talisman Antoine Semenyo. The Spanish tactician is known for his aggressive, front-foot approach to football. Meanwhile, Olver Glasner is Forest's fifth head coach in less than 12 months after the Austrian left Crystal Palace.
Getty ImagesTransfers
Liverpool have lost several senior operators. Ibrahima Konaté has moved to Real Madrid, club legend Mo Salah has signed for Trabzonspor and veteran full-back Andy Robertson has left for Tottenham. The Reds have signed Jérémy Jacquet from Rennes and former Osasuna attacker Víctor Muñoz for a combined £90 million. A direct replacement for Salah hasn't yet arrived, so the burden on last summer's marquee signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak will be even greater. The club's outstanding performer last season, Dominik Szoboszlai, has signed a new long-term contract and dispatched an excellent penalty to secure a last-ditch point for the Reds against Newcastle on matchday 1. Uruguayan central defender Ronald Araujo is an interesting loan signing from Barcelona.
Getty ImagesForest have recruited central midfielder Xaver Schlager, Ivorian central defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting Lisbon for £34m, and Portuguese attacking midfielder Gustavo Sa.
Getty ImagesKey stats
- Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai scored three direct free-kick goals in the Premier League last season.
- Liverpool lost last season's corresponding fixture 3-0.
Likely XIs
Liverpool (433): Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
Forest (3421): Sels; Diomande, Milenkovic, Murillo; Aina, McAtee, Sangare, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Igor Jesus.
Team news & squads
Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest Probable lineups
Manager
- A. Iraola
Iraola faces a significant injury list heading into this match. Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Joseph Gomez, Vitezslav Jaros, Stefan Bajcetic, and Giovanni Leoni are all unavailable for the home side. No suspensions are currently listed, and a confirmed probable lineup will be added closer to kick-off.
For Forest, Oliver Glasner is without Ryan Yates and Nicolo Savona through injury. No suspensions affect the away squad at this stage, and further team news updates will follow as the match approaches.
Form
Liverpool's last five matches produced one win, two draws, and two defeats. Their only competitive result in that run came on the opening weekend, a 2-2 draw at Newcastle United. In pre-season, the Reds lost 3-2 to Monaco and 4-2 to Leeds United, though they did record a 2-0 friendly win over Como. Across those five games, Liverpool scored eight goals and conceded nine.
Nottingham Forest's recent record reads two wins and three defeats from their last five matches. Their sole Premier League outing ended in a 1-0 defeat to Leeds United on August 22. Forest performed well in friendlies, beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 and Brest 2-0, but lost to Barcelona 1-0 and Udinese 1-0 in earlier pre-season outings.
Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head
The most recent meeting between these sides came in February 2026, when Liverpool won 1-0 at the City Ground. Before that, Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat at Anfield in November 2025, one of the more surprising results in recent fixtures between the clubs. Across the last five Premier League meetings, Liverpool hold three wins to Forest's one, with one draw, though Forest have shown they are capable of taking points off the Reds in both home and away fixtures.
Standings
In the Premier League table, Liverpool currently sit ninth while Nottingham Forest are fifteenth after the opening round of fixtures.