Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest Prediction: Iraola's Press Faces Glasner's Counter Threat at Anfield

Premier League Week 2 brings Liverpool and Nottingham Forest to Anfield on 29 August 2026, both sides still without a win after opening weekends that gave neither manager much to work with. Liverpool sit 10th after a 2-2 draw at Newcastle, rescued by Szoboszlai's stoppage time penalty, while Forest are 15th following a 0-1 home defeat to Leeds. It is also Liverpool's first home game under Andoni Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot on 4 June and Forest's second under Oliver Glasner, appointed on 6 July after Vítor Pereira's departure. Neither manager is flush with confidence after week one, which makes this fixture matter more than a routine August Saturday would.

Iraola holds a narrow edge across their prior meetings, those encounters tending to produce low scoring, tight affairs in which his structured press has occasionally found the decisive moment against Glasner's more reactive setups.

Liverpool's injury list is extensive enough to give Iraola a selection headache, with Giovanni Leoni (knee), Conor Bradley (knee), Hugo Ekitike (Achilles), Joe Gomez and Federico Chiesa all out and Bradley Barcola not yet registered. Losing Leoni and Bradley in particular thins the back line noticeably and the squad Iraola actually has available is not quite the one it appears to be on paper.

Forest have their own absentees: Nicolo Savona (knee) and Ryan Yates are both ruled out, while Morgan Gibbs-White is doubtful with a knee concern of his own. Gibbs-White is the one that matters most here, because without him Forest lose the player who decides when to hold and when to release in midfield and the timing of their transitions suffers as a result.

Iraola will press high in a 4-2-3-1, looking to win the ball back quickly and recycle through Szoboszlai, with Van Dijk anchoring the defence and Isak leading the line. The injury list complicates matters considerably though: without Bradley, Leoni, Chiesa and Ekitike, the back line lacks depth. Glasner's Forest tend to sit in a 3-4-2-1 to invite pressure and spring Igor Jesus in behind and that can cause real problems at Anfield where Liverpool will carry the ball forward aggressively and leave space. Without Gibbs-White controlling central transitions, Forest's ability to hurt Liverpool on the counter is reduced. The contest probably turns on Isak versus Murillo: if Isak gets in behind consistently and wins that battle, Liverpool should be comfortable, if Murillo keeps him quiet, this gets complicated.

Liverpool dominate the historical record overall but recent Premier League meetings have been less one-sided, with Forest winning 3-0 at Anfield in November 2025 before Liverpool took a 0-1 win at the City Ground in February 2026. Those two results tell you this is not a foregone conclusion.

Liverpool's set pieces are a consistent source of goals, with Szoboszlai delivering and Van Dijk as the aerial target and Forest's compact block will have to deal with that throughout. Liverpool salvaged a point from Newcastle, Forest lost at home to a newly promoted side. Draw your own conclusions.

Liverpool 2-1 Nottingham Forest. Home advantage, a pressing system designed to disorganise a Forest midfield already missing Savona and Yates (and possibly Gibbs-White) and Szoboszlai as both the creative engine and the set piece threat: that is a strong enough platform against a depleted visiting side. Jesus could find space if Liverpool overcommit forward but Forest's hollowed out midfield makes it very hard to see them controlling this game long enough to take anything.