Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest match preview: team news, lineups, TV, kick-off time, referee & VAR

Just three days after Europa League action, Liverpool gear up to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, as they look to gain ground on Tottenham at the top.

While the Reds aren't at the dazzling heights they were a few years back in the Premier League, they have had a very promising start to this campaign and, after a comfortable Merseyside derby win last weekend, the momentum is certainly in Jurgen Klopp's favour.

So far having played nine league games, Liverpool have won six, drawn two and lost just one courtesy of Tottenham (and the PGMOL), so all things considered, it's been a great start.

With every game as important as the last in England's top division, it's crucial that the Reds beat Forest at Anfield to keep the pressure on those above them and continue to make the statement that the title race is well and truly on from a Liverpool perspective this season.

With that said, here is everything you need to know about Sunday's game.

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DATE, KICK-OFF, STADIUM, REFEREE & VAR

• Date: Sunday, 29 October 2023

• Kick-off time: 14:00 BST / 09:00 ET / 06:00 PT

• Stadium: Anfield

• Referee: Chris Kavanagh

• Assistants: Richard West and Matthew Wilkes

• Fourth official: Matt Donohue

• VAR: Andy Madley

• Assistant VAR: Harry Lennard

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Liverpool and Nottingham Forest both have incredibly rich histories in the footballing world and it is therefore no surprise that the two sides have played one another a whopping 118 times to date.

Of those fixtures, Liverpool come out on top, having won 58 of the meetings, drawing 29 and losing the other 31.

Since Forest's return to the top flight of English football last season, they have played the Reds twice, famously beating Klopp's side 1-0 at home (with ex-Red Taiwo Awoniyi scoring the winner) last October.

Liverpool won a close-fought reverse fixture 3-2 at Anfield in April.

In terms of form going into the fixture, it is essentially what you'd expect.

Liverpool sit in fourth place on 20 points, while Forest remain on ten points in 15th position, but they have certainly shown they have a fantastic attack when everything clicks into place, so the game is not a for gone conclusion by any stretch.

WHERE TO WATCH LIVERPOOL VS NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON TV

For UK viewers, the game was once again not selected for television.

European viewers can find the game on DAZN.

In the US, the game will be available to stream on Peacock Premium.

Match commentary, highlights and full match replay will be available anywhere in the world on LFCTV GO.

LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS

By far the most damaging absentee for Liverpool going into the Europa League clash is Andy Robertson, who dislocated his shoulder on International duty for Scotland against Spain.

The full extent of his injury hasn't been confirmed, but due to the seriousness of the injury and the recovery time associated with it, is is thought that the full-back may not feature again until the new year, which would be a huge blow to the squad.

Scotland teammate Ben Doak also sustained an injury during the international break, this time with the Scotland Under-21 side.

Similar to Robertson, the extent of Doak's knock is unknown, but it understood to be much less serious than his Scottish teammate's injury and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him in the squad.

According to reports, Caoimhin Kelleher is said to be fully fit again after his knock just before the international break, while Cody Gakpo was also confirmed by Klopp to be back in full training just before the Toulouse clash.

However, there is still no positive update on the fitness of Reds trio Stefan Bajcetic, Thiago Alcantaraand Conor Bradley.

Curtis Jones is the only other player confirmed to be unavailable for selection, as he misses his third and final game after his controversial sending off against Tottenham earlier this month.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST TEAM NEWS

It's bad news for both sets of fans as Liverpool cult hero Divock Origi has been ruled out of the weekend's fixture due to a hip injury, with the Belgian forward not expected to be back in action until late November.

New signing Callum Hudson-Odoi is also confirmed to be out of the game with a hamstring injury, while Felipe Monteiro and Gonzalo Montiel both remain out with long-term injuries.

Meanwhile, left-back Nuno Tavares and club talisman Taiwo Awoniyi are both being assessed for their respective knocks and it is currently unknown if the pair will be fit enough to feature against the Reds on Sunday.

PREDICTED LINEUP

Liverpool will almost certainly field their strongest available XI against Forest, as they continue to prioritise the Premier League above all else at this stage of the season.

(4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Salah, Nuñez, Diaz

PREDICTION

With the Reds with the momentum going into the game, and Nottingham Forest's injury problems, there really is no excuse for Liverpool not to walk away from Anfield on Sunday with another three points in the bag.

Forest can be a hard team to break down, so expect a close game, but Klopp's side should just about edge it.

Liverpool 1-0 Nottingham Forest