Slot Faces Crucial Gakpo Decision as Liverpool Battle Injury Crisis Before Forest Clash—Team News & Predicted XI
Liverpool head to struggling Nottingham Forest looking to avenge their shocking Premier League defeat from November.
The Merseyside club suffered a humiliating 3-0 loss at home to the Midlands outfit, a result that effectively crushed their title defense hopes. Manager Arne Slot remains winless against Forest after three encounters and will now face his third different opposing manager, Vitor Pereira, as he attempts to break this streak.
Liverpool have secured victory in five of their previous seven matches across all competitions and despite missing several important players, the defending champions remain optimistic about achieving a positive outcome.
Match Snapshot
Match Snapshot
Team News
Team News
Slot has provided encouraging news regarding Alexander Isak's fitness, with the striker anticipated to recover from his leg fracture around the March international window. Nevertheless, his ongoing unavailability means Hugo Ekitiké remains Liverpool's sole recognized striker.
The journey to Nottingham arrives prematurely for Jeremie Frimpong, who is close to recovering from his groin problem, while teammate Conor Bradley faces a season-ending injury. Joe Gomez may fill the right-back position on Sunday.
Giovanni Leoni represents another defensive casualty, while Wataru Endo faces an extended absence following a severe ankle injury sustained during last week's victory against Sunderland.
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest
Liverpool Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest
GK: Alisson—Many anticipated Giorgi Mamardashvili would feature in last weekend's 3-0 FA Cup triumph over Brighton & Hove Albion, but Alisson kept his spot and justified the decision with several crucial stops.
RB: Joe Gomez—Slot has confirmed Gomez is prepared to start following two substitute appearances, with the England international likely deployed to counter Forest's rapid winger Callum Hudson-Odoi—who netted the decisive goal at Anfield previously.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—Konaté has delivered outstanding displays since his return from personal leave and was exceptional in the match against Sunderland.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—Van Dijk scored the decisive goal against the Black Cats as Liverpool became the first side to claim victory at the Stadium of Light this season. The Dutch captain was equally impressive versus Brighton.
LB: Milos Kerkez—The Hungarian defender has faced warranted criticism this campaign for inconsistent showings but produced one of his finest Liverpool performances in the win over the Seagulls.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—Gravenberch rarely receives rest but remained unused against Brighton. The Dutch midfielder should benefit from the break.
DM: Alexis Mac Allister—Recent performances offer hope for Liverpool fans as Mac Allister shows signs of improvement following a difficult start to the season.
RW: Mohamed Salah—An excellent display against Brighton will boost the Egyptian's morale significantly. He has contributed four assists and two goals in his last six appearances.
AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—Liverpool's key player returned from his ban against Brighton and recorded his 17th goal involvement of the campaign with the final strike.
LW: Florian Wirtz—With Cody Gakpo continuing to underperform, Wirtz might be deployed wide to accommodate Szoboszlai centrally. The German has frequently played this position under Slot and consistently delivers quality performances regardless of his role.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—The scoring responsibility remains with Ekitiké, who has netted 15 times this season, and the French forward must produce once more.