Nottingham Forest face stern Anfield test as Glasner’s rebuild meets early-season pressure

Nottingham Forest travel to Anfield on Saturday still searching for their first points of the season, having lost their Premier League opener to Leeds United before suffering the same fate in the Carabao Cup days later.

Oliver Glasner’s side have, however, won on each of their last two visits to Anfield, offering some historical comfort against demanding opposition and underlining why this early-season fixture will be watched closely by both sets of supporters.

Those contrasting strands – a difficult start to the new campaign against the backdrop of a broader rebuilding project, set against recent success away at one of English football’s most imposing venues – frame a match that carries early implications for Forest’s momentum and confidence in the coming months.

Context within the Premier League campaign

The trip to Merseyside is part of a long Premier League season governed by the structures and scheduling set by the Premier League, with every point critical in shaping the table and the financial and sporting rewards attached to final positions.

For Forest, a third successive defeat in all competitions would risk embedding negative narratives around form and cohesion at the start of a new cycle under Glasner. A positive result, by contrast, would not only deliver their first league points of the season but also reinforce internal belief that the squad’s summer reshaping can withstand one of the toughest away assignments in the division.

The match also sits alongside domestic cup commitments in the Carabao Cup, where Forest have already exited, placing additional emphasis on league performance for the remainder of the campaign.

Nottingham Forest team news

Nicolo Savona and Ryan Yates remain sidelined through injury and are not available for selection. Their absence removes two established midfield options from Glasner’s rotation, adding further significance to the roles of those currently fit and available.

Summer signings Ousmane Diomande and Xaver Schlager both made their full debuts in midweek’s Carabao Cup tie and are pushing to retain their places in the starting XI. The pair represent key components of the club’s squad refresh, and sustained game time at Anfield would accelerate their integration into Premier League intensity and tactical demands.

Glasner has otherwise reported no fresh fitness concerns from that game, providing continuity at a time when many clubs are still managing early-season physical workloads.

The head coach has been open about the scale of the rebuilding job at the City Ground, contrasting his group’s early cohesion with a settled side that has been together for several seasons. That acknowledgement underscores the strategic nature of this season for Forest: performances are being judged not only on results, but also on how quickly a rebalanced squad can adapt to a clear tactical model.

Tactical shape and key roles

Murillo, Nikola Milenković and Diomande look set to form a back three, protected by a midfield four of Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangaré, Schlager and Neco Williams. That structure gives Forest an additional central defender to deal with Liverpool’s attacking rotations, while wing-backs Aina and Williams will be tasked with balancing defensive cover against the need to provide width on transitions.

In more advanced areas, Morgan Gibbs-White, who has scored or assisted in half of Forest’s last six games at Anfield, is expected to operate in behind Igor Jesus alongside Dan Ndoye. Gibbs-White’s creative influence between the lines, combined with Igor Jesus’ presence as the focal point and Ndoye’s capacity to stretch play, offers Forest a pathway to threaten on the counter while remaining compact without the ball.

That blend of central solidity and forward mobility reflects Glasner’s broader intention to build a side capable of competing with established Premier League clubs away from home, not only through resilience but also through structured attacking patterns.

Nottingham Forest predicted lineup

Based on current availability and recent selection, Forest are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 shape at Anfield:

• Goalkeeper: Sels
• Defenders: Murillo, Nikola Milenković, Ousmane Diomande
• Midfielders/Wing-backs: Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangaré, Xaver Schlager, Neco Williams
• Attacking midfielders: Morgan Gibbs-White, Dan Ndoye
• Forward: Igor Jesus

Nottingham Forest possible starting XI (3-4-2-1): Sels; Murillo, Milenković, Diomande; Aina, Sangaré, Schlager, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Igor Jesus

For several of these players, this fixture offers a high-profile stage to consolidate starting roles and influence future selection decisions. Strong individual performances at Anfield can accelerate trust from the coaching staff and shape the hierarchy within key positions as the season progresses.

Match details and broadcast information

• Fixture: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
• Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
• Kick-off: 12:30 (local time) on Saturday, 29 August 2026

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate in the UK, reflecting the continued international interest in early-season Premier League fixtures involving major clubs and ambitious challengers.

Broader competitive and commercial stakes

Within a league where central revenues and international exposure are closely tied to on-pitch performance, Forest’s visit to Anfield carries meaning beyond the immediate result. Securing points in such fixtures can ease pressure later in the season, particularly for clubs targeting stability in the division and the long-term benefits that come with it.

For players such as Diomande, Schlager, Ndoye and Igor Jesus, consistent involvement in high-profile matches also influences national team visibility, future market valuation and contract positioning, components that increasingly intersect with club strategy in the modern game.

Nottingham Forest team news recap

• Nicolo Savona – unavailable (injury)
• Ryan Yates – unavailable (injury)
• Ousmane Diomande – pushing to retain starting place after full debut
• Xaver Schlager – pushing to retain starting place after full debut
• No new fitness concerns reported from the recent Carabao Cup tie

With a demanding Anfield assignment and the need to collect their first league points of the campaign, Forest enter Saturday’s match at a point where performance levels and structural progress will be scrutinised as closely as the scoreline.