Match Preview: Liverpool Look To Cut Down Forest In Anfield Return

Jacob
22nd April 2023

Liverpool is on a hot streak lately, as they are unbeaten in 3 straight matches, having blitzed Leeds United 6-1 in their last outing. Now the Reds return to full of optimism as they are set to face Nottingham Forest, looking to avenge a loss from earlier in the campaign.

Alexander-Arnold Excells In New Role

Trent Alexander Arnold is playing a new position on the pitch as of late and it is paying huge dividends for the Reds so far. He has moved to a more central position from right back and playing higher up seems to agree with him. Alexander-Arnold has 3 assists in the last two matches since moving to the new position.

“This slightly advanced role now suits him in the moment really well, that's good,” Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said of the change. “It's a challenge for everybody else to cover the spaces when we lose the ball theoretically, but with him there we didn't lose that many balls, which was helpful.”

Trimming The Trees

Nottingham Forest have had some bright moments this season including the aforementioned win over Liverpool and advancing in the Carabao Cup, but overall, their season has not been a good one. They sit in the relegation zone in 18th place on the table with 27 points and have not won a match since February 5th, vs Leeds United. Welsh striker Brennan Johnson is the leading goalscorer with 11 this season for club and country, so the defence must be alert to him at all times.

Firmino Out With Injury

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

Roberto Firmino announced earlier this season that he will be leaving Anfield at the end of the year. So the news that he suffered an injury, even a minor one, is a tough blow for everyone wanting to see a proper swan song from the popular player, Klopp says the injury is only a minor muscle issue, but it will keep Firmino out for this match and likely two more.   

LFC Globe Verdict

The build-up to this match is eerily similar to the Reds' last match with Nottingham Forest. In mid-October, Liverpool had all the momentum until they suffered a 1-0 to Nottingham who were at the bottom of the table at the time. The good news is that this time they are at Anfield and they are mostly healthy, aside from Firmino. So I think Liverpool take this one with relative ease 3-0, but if they do not play well, the Reds could suffer a similar fate to the last meeting

Where To Watch

Kickoff is set for 15:00 BST but will not be broadcast in the U.K. American Audiences can watch at 10:00 AM EST on USA Network while those in Canada can do the same via fuboTV.  A full list of streaming options is available by visiting LFC Globe's Live Streams page.

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